WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for River Wharfe at Arthington in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
River Wharfe at Arthington is a gauged river in England.
This station sits on the River Wharfe in England, and the record here spans 32 years. For people watching the river from a bank, bridge, or field edge, that length of record is enough to show the usual pattern: the river tends to be higher in winter and lower in summer.
The highest typical month is December, at 0.83 m (2.73 ft). The lowest typical month is July, at 0.38 m (1.24 ft). That typical annual swing is 45.5 cm (17.9 in), which is the range a dock, intake, or low crossing has to be ready to live with most years.
The record high is 3.66 m (12.01 ft), reached in September 2012. The record low is 0.23 m (0.75 ft), reached in June 2020. Those two values show how far the river can move outside its usual seasonal band.
The seasonal shape here is useful for planning around the river rather than against it. December is usually the higher month, while July is usually the lower month. For anglers, that points to very different bank access and current conditions through the year. For cottagers and farmers near the channel, it also means summer low water is normal enough to account for, while winter levels can sit much higher.
Water Survey of Canada is not the agency here; this station is from the Environment Agency, so that is the name to use on the page.
The hero number on this page compares today’s reading with the median level for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone, because a level that looks ordinary in one month can be high or low for another month.
With 32 years on record, that comparison gives a quick read on whether the river is sitting above or below its usual place for this day of the year. For anyone checking access, bank exposure, or local flood watch, that seasonal comparison is the number to watch.
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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