St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in MI, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location MI, United States
- Watershed st marys 0002
- Primary gauge 04127885 (USGS)
About St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
St. Marys River in the St. Marys watershed in Michigan is monitored at Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Season by season
The seasonal pattern is modest here. The typical high comes in July at 580.52 ft (176.94 m), and the typical low comes in March at 579.48 ft (176.63 m). That gap is 12.5 in (31.7 cm), so docks, intakes, and nearshore footing see a narrow annual range rather than a wide swing.
In Great Lakes hydrology, spring snowmelt freshet matters, lake-effect snow helps build the winter pack, and groundwater-fed streams tend to hold steadier summer baseflow than most regions. On this river, that means the broad seasonal shift is not large, but the summer level still sits above the March low by a small margin that matters for shallow access and fixed installations.
Records and rises
The record high is 582.81 ft (177.64 m), set in July 2020. The record low is 575.96 ft (175.55 m), set in December 2012. That span is the range this station has seen over 18 years on record.
A number that jumps from one day to the next would matter most for shoreline users, but the fastest 24-hour rise is not available in the facts here. On this station, the useful signal is the level itself and how far it sits from the seasonal norm.
The catchment above this station is 80,900 sq mi (209,530 km2). That is the upstream area draining to this gauge, not the whole watershed name on the page.
Reading the hero number
The hero number is today’s reading set against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is better than raw elevation alone because the same level can mean different things in July than in March.
This station is run by the U.S. Geological Survey. With more than 18 years on record, the median-by-date gives you the clearest quick read on whether the river is sitting near its usual state for this day or well outside it.
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
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
