Sydenham River at Florence Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Sydenham River at Florence in ON, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location ON, Canada
- Watershed sydenham
- Primary gauge 02GG003 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Sydenham River at Florence
The Sydenham River in the Sydenham watershed in Ontario is monitored at Florence.
Season by season
The seasonal pattern here is clear in the record. March is the typical high month, at 4 m (13.13 ft), while September is the typical low month, at 3.06 m (10.04 ft). The typical annual swing is 94.2 cm (3.1 ft), so this is a gauge where a dock, pump intake, or shallow crossing can see a noticeable shift through the year.
That fits a snowmelt-driven cycle: spring freshet late April-May, then natural summer drawdown July-September, with an early-winter decline as ice forms. For anyone working or fishing on the river, that means the water you see in late summer is usually the tighter part of the year, while the spring run-up is the period to watch for changing access and stronger current.
Records and rises
The record high at this station is 8.18 m (26.84 ft), set in August 2023. The record low is 2.95 m (9.68 ft), set in September 2003. Those two marks bracket what this gauge has seen over 42 years on record.
The upstream area above the station is 1150 km2 (444 sq mi). That is the drainage area that feeds the Florence reading, so changes upstream show up here. The fastest 24-hour rise is not listed in the facts, so I cannot say how much warning the river gives on the sharpest days.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is most useful when it is compared with the median for the same calendar day across the station record, not with the raw elevation alone. A single height can look ordinary or unusual depending on the season; the median puts today beside what is normal for this date at Sydenham River At Florence.
This station has more than 42 years of record, and the reading is published through the Water Survey of Canada. That makes the day-by-day comparison the better check for cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching intake levels or bank access.
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.
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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
