WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Scioto River near Commercial Point OH in OH, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Scioto River near Commercial Point OH sits in the Upper Scioto watershed in Ohio.
The station record spans more than 21 years. The highest stage on record is 25.95 ft (7.91 m), set in May 2020. The lowest is 8.17 ft (2.49 m), set in September 2025.
The seasonal pattern is tighter than those bookends suggest. The usual high point comes in March at 11.99 ft (3.66 m), and the usual low point comes in October at 8.68 ft (2.65 m). That is a typical annual swing of 3.3 ft (1.01 m).
For someone with a dock, pump intake, or low bank access, that swing matters. March levels tend to sit well above the autumn low, so the river asks more of shore structures in late winter and early spring than in fall. The record high is far above the usual seasonal range, so a flood stage here can move quickly beyond what is normal for this reach.
The gauge drains 2272 sq mi (5885 km2) above the station. That is the area feeding this reading, not the whole Upper Scioto watershed.
In this part of Ohio, winter and spring are the main flood seasons, with rain and snowmelt often arriving on saturated or frozen ground. Summer can bring sharp rises from convective storms. Fall is usually the low-flow season. That seasonal rhythm fits the record here: the river is typically higher in late winter and early spring, then eases toward autumn.
For anglers, that means access and current can change most at the times of year when the river is already carrying more water. For people living near the banks, the same pattern is a reminder that the quieter months are not the safest guide to the months that can move water the fastest.
The number at the top of the page is today’s USGS stage compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it tells you whether the river is running high or low for the date, not just how many feet it stands above the gauge. With more than 21 years of record behind it, the comparison gives a cleaner read on whether today is ordinary for this time of year or out of step with the local pattern.
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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