WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for White River at Newport in AR, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The White River at Newport is in the Upper White-Village watershed in Arkansas.
This gauge watches 19,900 sq mi (51541 km2) upstream of Newport. That is the drainage area for this station, not the whole White River basin.
For people living or fishing here, the spread between seasonal high water and seasonal low water matters more than a single reading. The typical high month is April at 17.37 ft (5.29 m), while the typical low month is November at 4.27 ft (1.3 m). That annual swing is 13.1 ft (3.99 m), so docks, ramps, and intakes need to work across a wide range.
The record high is 34.07 ft (10.38 m) in May 2011. The record low is -0.41 ft (-0.12 m) in November 2007. Those are the two edges of the station history, and they show how far conditions can move here over time.
The regional pattern here is winter-spring flooding from rainfall, with slower recessions later in the season. On this gauge, the monthly pattern is clear: April is usually the high point, and November the low point.
That tells you two things. First, spring is the time to watch for higher water against banks, low crossings, and moored gear. Second, the late-fall low end can leave less margin for shallow access and withdrawals. The station’s record low in November matches that seasonal trough.
The hero number on this page is not raw elevation by itself. It is today’s reading set against the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is the better number for judging whether the river is running high or low for the date.
This station is operated by the USGS, and the record runs for about 50 years. Using the day-median lets you compare what is happening now with what is normal for this date at this gauge, which is more useful than reading the stage alone.
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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