South Fork Little R at Highway 68 by-Pass at Hopkinsville Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for South Fork Little R at Highway 68 by-Pass at Hopkinsville in KY, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Water body S FK LITTLE R AT HWY 68 BY-PASS AT HOPKINSVILLE
- Location KY, United States
- Watershed lower cumberland
- Primary gauge 03437495 (USGS)
About South Fork Little R at Highway 68 by-Pass at Hopkinsville
South Fork Little River in the Lower Cumberland watershed of Kentucky.
What the record shows
The station’s record spans 17 years. The highest level in that record is 18.85 ft (5.75 m), reached in April 2025. The lowest is 4.39 ft (1.34 m), reached in October 2014.
Seasonally, the river is usually higher in February, when the typical level is 7.12 ft (2.17 m), and lower in September, when the typical level is 5.46 ft (1.66 m). That gap is a typical annual swing of 20 in (50.7 cm).
For anyone with a dock, intake, or low crossing nearby, that range is the part to watch. The river can sit near its seasonal low in late summer and still climb well above it when conditions turn wet.
The watershed
This gauge drains 35.9 sq mi (92.9 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding this reading, not the full Lower Cumberland watershed.
In this part of Kentucky, the seasonal pattern matters: winter and spring are usually the times when levels run higher, and late summer is usually the quieter stretch. That is the background for planning, whether you are checking bank access, a farm crossing, or a fishing spot.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That tells you whether the river is running ordinary for this date, or sitting above or below its usual place in the year.
Raw elevation alone does not do that. A level that looks modest in April can be high for September, and a level that looks low in February can still be part of the normal seasonal pattern.
This station is a USGS site, and with more than 17 years on record, its calendar-day medians give a better day-to-day reference than a single stage value 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.
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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.
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