Vermilion River near Lafayette Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Vermilion River near Lafayette in LA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location LA, United States
- Watershed vermilion 0103
- Primary gauge 07386850 (USGS)
About Vermilion River near Lafayette
The Vermilion River near Lafayette is a gauged river in the Vermilion watershed, Louisiana.
Season by season
The river’s seasonal high usually comes in February, at 4.14 ft (1.26 m), while the seasonal low is usually in August, at 3.08 ft (0.94 m). For anyone watching a landing, dock, or low crossing, that 12.7 in (32.3 cm) annual swing is not large, but it is enough to change how fast shallow spots clear and how much freeboard you have at the edge.
That pattern fits a lowland Gulf setting where water can stay up for days after rain and where backwater can matter. In practice, the river can hold a higher stage longer than a quick-look forecast might suggest, so a short visit to the gauge matters more than a single glance at yesterday’s level.
Records and rises
The station’s record high is 40.7 ft (12.41 m) in June 1996. That is the kind of stage that changes what parts of the riverbank are usable and how far water can back onto nearby low ground.
The record low is 0.12 ft (0.04 m) in December 2010. That tells you the reach can also run very low, so shallow margins and ramps may need a wider margin than the seasonal average alone would suggest.
With 30 years on record, the gauge gives a useful picture of what this river has already done, not just what it is doing today.
Reading the hero number
This page’s hero number is best read as today’s stage against the median for the same calendar day in the USGS record, using more than 30 years of station history. That comparison is more useful than raw elevation alone because it puts today in context: whether the river is sitting near its usual level for the date, above it, or below it.
The station is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
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
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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
