South Fork Skykomish River at Skykomish Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for South Fork Skykomish River at Skykomish in WA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location WA, United States
- Watershed skykomish
- Primary gauge 12131500 (USGS)
About South Fork Skykomish River at Skykomish
South Fork Skykomish River at Skykomish is in the Skykomish watershed in Washington.
Season by season
This station’s pattern is the one many west-side rivers show: levels are highest in spring and lowest in late summer. The typical high comes in May at 19.99 ft (6.09 m), and the typical low comes in September at 17.3 ft (5.27 m). The usual annual swing is 32.3 in (82 cm), so docks, small intakes, and bank access need to handle a moderate but real change through the year.
For anglers, that seasonal drop in late summer can tighten the wetted margins and change how far a boat launch sits from the water. For cottagers and anyone with a shoreline intake, May is the month to watch for higher water, while September is the month when the river is most likely to sit near its seasonal low.
Records and rises
The record high is 27.43 ft (8.36 m), set in December 2025. The record low is 17.07 ft (5.2 m), set in September 2023. Those two marks show that this river has moved through a wide range in a short record, even if the seasonal average swing is smaller.
There is no fastest 24-hour rise in the facts provided, so this page should not guess at warning time from a daily jump figure.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the current reading set against the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone because it tells you whether today is typical for this date, high for the season, or low for the season.
This station has 10 years on record, and it is operated by the USGS. For someone watching access, fishing conditions, or a shoreline intake, the day-of-year comparison is the cleaner signal: it puts today’s level in context instead of treating every foot of water the same in every month.
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.
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.
Water Stories
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The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
