WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Thames at Kings Lock in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Thames at Kings Lock is a gauged river in England.
This station sits on the River Thames, and the record here spans more than 26 years. For a river this far downstream, the main pattern is seasonal rather than dramatic: water is usually highest in January at 0.17 m (0.56 ft), then eases to 0.08 m (0.27 ft) in September. That typical annual swing is 9 cm (3.5 in), so docks, moorings, and shallow intakes need to handle a fairly modest but regular change through the year.
The record also shows that the river can step outside that seasonal range. The highest level in the file is 0.7 m (2.3 ft) in July 2007, and the lowest is -0.14 m (-0.45 ft) in August 2025. Those two marks give a practical sense of how much the gauge can move at this station over time, not just within an average year.
The monthly pattern is straightforward: winter is higher, late summer is lower. January sits above September by 9 cm (3.5 in), which is enough to matter for shallow launches and fixed steps, but not so much that the river changes character completely from month to month.
The extremes are wider. A level of 0.7 m (2.3 ft) in July 2007 shows that this gauge can reach well above its typical January reading. The low of -0.14 m (-0.45 ft) in August 2025 is a useful reminder that summer levels can fall below the usual range for this station. If you are watching a landing stage, a pump intake, or a moored boat, the key point is to think in ranges, not in a single day’s reading.
The number shown on the page should be read against the median for this calendar day, not against the raw height alone. That comparison is better because the Thames at this station has a seasonal cycle: 0.17 m (0.56 ft) is normal for January, while 0.08 m (0.27 ft) is normal for September. A reading that looks high in late summer may be ordinary in winter, and the reverse is also true.
For this gauge, the operator is the Environment Agency. With more than 26 years of records behind it, the daily median gives a cleaner view of whether today is running high, low, or near the usual line for this date.
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
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