WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Tributary to Reid Brook in NL, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
Tributary to Reid Brook sits in the Kogaluk and Notakwanon watershed in Newfoundland and Labrador.
This station drains 15.4 km2 (5.9 sq mi) upstream of the gauge, so the numbers here reflect a small catchment rather than the whole watershed. That matters for anyone watching a crossing, a bank, or a small intake: local rain and snowmelt can move the level fast, and the response can be sharp in a basin this size.
For this reach, the seasonal pattern is straightforward. The typical high comes in May at 0.73 m (2.4 ft), and the typical low comes in February at 0.43 m (1.4 ft). The usual annual swing is 30.6 cm (12 in), which is enough to change how much water sits against a dock, culvert, or pump intake through the year.
The record high is 1.62 m (5.32 ft), set in May 2020. The record low is 0.26 m (0.85 ft), set in January 2011. That gap shows the range this station can cover in different seasons and different years.
The fastest 24-hour rise was 77.6 cm (30.6 in) in May 2014. For neighbours and anglers, that is the number to keep in mind when the weather turns wet or the snow starts to go. It is the warning time this water gives: a strong rise can arrive within a day.
The fastest 24-hour drop was 31.3 cm (12.3 in) in October 2018. Drops like that can leave shallow bars exposed and change access from one day to the next.
In Atlantic hydrology, spring snowmelt freshet is the main seasonal lift, while fall and winter storms can bring rain floods. Lakes and bogs moderate many basins, but the gauge still shows the local response.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading, compared with the median for this calendar day across the 22-year record. That is more useful than raw elevation because a level only matters in context: the same height can be ordinary in May and unusual in February.
For a gauge in the Water Survey of Canada network, this daily comparison is the quick read that tells you whether the river is running near its usual range for the date, or sitting well above or below it.
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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