Rockcastle River at Billows Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Rockcastle River at Billows in KY, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Water body ROCKCASTLE RIVER AT BILLOWS
- Location KY, United States
- Watershed rockcastle
- Primary gauge 03406500 (USGS)
About Rockcastle River at Billows
The Rockcastle River in the Rockcastle watershed of Kentucky is monitored at Billows by USGS.
Season by season
February is the typical high-water month here, with a usual level of 5.14 ft (1.57 m). September is the typical low-water month at 1.44 ft (0.44 m), and the typical annual swing is 3.7 ft (1.13 m). For docks, pumps, and shoreline access, that is the range to plan for across a normal year.
In this part of Kentucky, winter and spring are the main watch seasons for rain falling on already wet ground, and steep basins can rise fast. Summer and early fall often sit lower, so shallow crossings and intakes need more margin then.
Records and rises
The record high at this station was 42.27 ft (12.88 m) in March 2021. The record low was 0.77 ft (0.24 m) in October 2008.
Those two marks show the spread this river can cover at Billows. The high end is the level that matters for overbank water and access near the banks; the low end is the level that matters for shallow draft, pumping, and fish holding water in dry spells.
No fastest 24-hour rise is given in the facts for this page, so I will not add one.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page should be read against the median level for this calendar day, not just against raw elevation. That comparison tells you whether today is ordinary for the date, high for the season, or low for the season.
That matters here because the Rockcastle River has more than 50 years of record at USGS. A daily median puts today’s reading in that long local context, which is better for judging access, fishing conditions, and flood watch than a single number taken on its own.
How this page is built
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.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
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.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
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.
Alerts that watch the water for you
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.
Where Nibi comes from
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.
Coverage
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.
Free forever, funded by members
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.
Water Stories
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How every number is computed - About the platform
