WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for South Esk (Angus) at Tannadice in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
South Esk (Angus) at Tannadice is a gauged river in Scotland.
This station has 31 years on record, so the range here is wide enough to include ordinary seasonal flow and a few sharp departures. The high-water mark is 3.02 m (9.91 ft) in October 2023, which is the level to remember when thinking about overbank conditions, bank access, and anything built close to the water. The low-water mark is 0 m (0 ft) in October 1995, which sets the lower edge of what this reach has actually shown.
The seasonal pattern is modest compared with the records. November is the usual high month at 0.63 m (2.06 ft), while July is the usual low month at 0.32 m (1.06 ft). The typical annual swing is 30.6 cm (12 in), so day-to-day changes are often smaller than the extremes but still enough to matter for shallow launches, intakes, and holding water over riffles.
The catchment above this station is 348 km2 (134 sq mi). That is the area feeding this gauge, so what falls there is what the station responds to. In a rain-driven coastal-plain and piedmont setting, winter and spring rains usually set the pace, while hurricane-season tropical deluges can rewrite records. Long warm-season low-flow stretches are part of that same pattern, and July here fits that rhythm.
For someone watching the river from a field edge or a bank, the catchment size means responses can gather quickly across a broad area, but the seasonal lows also show that summer water can sit well below the November typical level.
The number on the page is most useful when it is compared with the median for this calendar day, not with raw elevation alone. A reading that sits above its usual day-by-day middle tells you the river is running high for the time of year; a reading below it points to a quieter reach than normal. That is why the daily comparison is more practical than a single height.
This station is operated by SEPA, and with 31 years on record, that comparison is built from a long enough history to show how the South Esk behaves through wet seasons, dry spells, and the sharper events in between.
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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