Saint John River at Saint John Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Saint John River at Saint John in Canada, NB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Canada, NB, Canada
- Watershed lower saint john kennebecasis
- Primary gauge 01AP005 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Saint John River at Saint John
Saint John River at Saint John is a gauged river in the Lower Saint John - Kennebecasis watershed in New Brunswick.
What the record shows
This station has more than 60 years of record, and the range is wide enough to matter for docks, pumps, and shore access. The record high is 5.68 m (18.64 ft), set in May 2018. The record low is 0.47 m (1.54 ft), set in September 1975.
The seasonal pattern is clear. May is the highest typical month at 2.61 m (8.56 ft), while September is the lowest typical month at 1.03 m (3.39 ft). The typical annual swing is 1.58 m (5.2 ft). For anyone using a fixed intake or a low wharf, that is the part of the record that matters most: the river does not sit at one level for long, and the gap between late spring and early fall is large enough to change access and clearance.
The Atlantic pattern fits that timing. Spring snowmelt freshet is usually the season of higher water, and fall rain can also push levels up. Winter ice cover is part of the rhythm here, so the month-to-month changes should be read with that seasonal frame in mind.
The watershed
The gauge drains 55000 km2 (21236 sq mi) upstream of this station. That is the area feeding the river at Saint John, so conditions far upstream can show up here. For people along the banks, that means a wet spell or a strong melt anywhere in that upstream area can translate into higher stage at the station.
Because this is the lower Saint John reach, the seasonal swing is the main practical number to keep in view. May is typically the high-water month, and September is typically the low-water month. If you are planning boat launching, shoreline work, or intake placement, that 1.58 m (5.2 ft) swing is the baseline to work around.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is today’s river level. It is most useful when read against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record, not as a raw elevation on its own. A level can look high or low in isolation, but the calendar-day median tells you whether it is typical for this date at Saint John.
With more than 60 years on record, that comparison gives a better read on what neighbours are likely to notice on the water right now.
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 17,900+ lakes and rivers
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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.
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