WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Thacka Beck at White House Gardens, Penrith in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
Thacka Beck at White House Gardens, Penrith is a gauged river in England.
The pattern here is a small one, but it still matters at the bank and at the intake. January is the highest month in the record, with a typical level of 0.32 m (1.05 ft). July is the lowest month, with a typical level of 0.20 m (0.67 ft). That gap is 11.6 cm (4.6 in) across the year.
For a creek like this, that seasonal swing is what to watch when you are checking water depth, bank exposure, or the steadiness of a crossing. In winter and early spring, levels are more likely to sit near the upper end of the station’s usual range. By midsummer, the channel is typically lower, so shallow margins become more noticeable.
The highest level in the station record is 0.87 m (2.86 ft), set in February 2020. The lowest is 0.09 m (0.28 ft), set in September 1996. Those two marks show the range this reach has already seen.
For anyone living beside the beck or fishing it, the key point is not just the numbers themselves but the spread between them. A reach that has moved from 0.09 m (0.28 ft) to 0.87 m (2.86 ft) has shown that it can change quickly enough to alter edge habitat, footing, and the depth at a low crossing.
This station has 35 years of record behind it, so the seasonal pattern sits on a fair amount of observation rather than a short run of data.
Today’s reading is best judged against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record, not against the raw elevation alone. The same level can mean something different in January than it does in July, because the usual range shifts through the year.
That is why the calendar-day comparison is the number to watch on this page. It tells you whether Thacka Beck is sitting near its usual place for the date, or above or below that normal for the season. At this station, the operating agency is the Environment Agency, and the record length of 35 years gives that daily comparison a useful local baseline.
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.
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