WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Rivière Yamaska – Farnham in QC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
The Rivière Yamaska at Farnham sits in the Yamaska watershed in Quebec.
This station drains 1231 km2 (475 sq mi) upstream of the gauge, so it reflects the water moving through the basin above this point, not the full watershed everywhere else.
For people near the river, the main rhythm is clear. The typical high point comes in April at 32.6 m (106.94 ft), then the river eases to its typical low point in August at 32.21 m (105.68 ft). That 38.5 cm (15.2 in) annual swing is the part a dock, pump intake, or shallow crossing has to live with. The regional note fits that pattern: spring freshet is strongest in April-May, with summer low water and early ice formation.
The long record also sets the bounds. The highest level in the station record was 33.92 m (111.29 ft) in March 1977, while the lowest was 32.01 m (105.02 ft) in September 1995. Those are the edges of what this reach has shown at this gauge over 50 years.
The seasonal range here is not large in absolute terms, but it matters because this is a river that can sit near a narrow operating band for long stretches. A change of 38.5 cm (15.2 in) across the year is enough to change how far a boat can float in the channel margin, how exposed a bank line feels, and how much margin a shoreline intake keeps in late summer.
Because the fastest 24-hour rise is not available in the facts, there is no warning-rate number to lean on here. For flood watching, that means the day-to-day stage reading matters more than assuming a typical rise speed.
The hero number on this page is the current river stage read against the median for this calendar day across the record. That comparison is better than raw elevation because 32.6 m (106.94 ft) means something different in April than in August.
With 50 years on record, the CEHQ median gives a fair local baseline for this date. If today’s reading sits above that median, the river is running higher than usual for this day; if it sits below, it is running lower than usual. That is the number cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching access, shoreline, or a pump intake should start with.
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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