WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
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Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Valdez Glacier R at Valdez Glacier Lake near Valdez AK in AK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Valdez Glacier R at Valdez Glacier Lake near Valdez AK is in the Eastern Prince William Sound watershed in Alaska.
The station has more than 10 years of record, so the range here is enough to show a real seasonal pattern, not just a short run of odd years.
The highest level on record was 24.92 ft (7.6 m) in June 2018. The lowest level on record was 12.37 ft (3.77 m) in April 2023. That spread matters for anyone with a dock, intake, or launch gear on this water: the operating range between those two ends is large enough that fixed structures need room for change.
The seasonal pattern is also clear. The usual high point comes in July at 18.21 ft (5.55 m), while the usual low point comes in December at 12.83 ft (3.91 m). The typical annual swing is 5.4 ft (1.64 m). For day-to-day use, that is the number to keep in mind when judging whether a shoreline setup will sit high, tight, or exposed over the year.
The catchment above this station is 135 sq mi (348 km2), and that is the area feeding the gauge, not the whole named watershed. In a subarctic setting, the river’s year is usually shaped by spring breakup and snowmelt, with deep winter low water under ice. This station’s record also fits a summer peak, with July usually higher than December.
For anglers, that means the channel can change a lot between seasons even when the weather feels settled. For landowners, it means the water level you see in winter is not the level you should expect in mid-summer.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than a raw elevation because a level only makes sense when you compare it with what is normal for the same day of the year.
This station is operated by the USGS. With more than 10 years on record, the calendar-day median gives a cleaner read on whether today is above or below the usual range for now, instead of comparing it with a single fixed number that may not match the season.
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 in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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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