WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Roughbark Creek above Rafferty Reservoir in SK, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
Roughbark Creek in the Upper Souris watershed in Saskatchewan is monitored above Rafferty Reservoir.
The high-water mark on this station is 3.46 m (11.36 ft), set in June 2011. The low-water mark is 0.21 m (0.7 ft), set in July 2017. That spread matters for anyone using the creek for access, crossings, or intake placement: the range is large enough that the water you see in one season may not be the water you have in another.
The seasonal pattern is clear. The typical high point comes in July at 0.95 m (3.11 ft), while the typical low point comes in February at 0.59 m (1.95 ft). The typical annual swing is 35.4 cm (13.9 in). On this creek, summer readings can sit well below the yearly high for a long stretch, so shallow spots and bank exposure are part of normal conditions.
Change can also come fast. The largest 24-hour rise on record is 73.8 cm (29.1 in), in June 2013. The largest 24-hour drop is 34 cm (13.4 in), in May 2013. Those are the kind of moves that can shorten the time between a quiet channel and a difficult one.
The station drains 277 km2 (107 sq mi) above the gauge. That is the area feeding this reading, not the full watershed downstream. For local land use, the size of the catchment means snowmelt, rain, and summer drying upstream all show up here in a way that matters at the bank.
The number at the top of the page is today’s level compared with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone because the same level can mean very different things in February and July. This station has more than 28 years of record, so the day-by-day median gives a better sense of whether the creek is running high, low, or near normal for the season.
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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