WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Willamette River above Falls, at Oregon City in OR, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Willamette River above Falls is in the Middle Willamette watershed in Oregon.
This gauge sits on the Willamette River above Falls in Oregon City, with 10000 sq mi (25900 km2) upstream of the station. The record spans more than 50 years at this site, so the pattern on this page is not a short snapshot.
West of the Cascades, the regional rhythm is winter rain and rain-on-snow floods, then dry-summer low flows. At this station, the seasonal high comes in January and the seasonal low in June, so the river usually gives the most water in winter and the least at the start of summer.
The record high is 69.05 ft (21.05 m) in February 1996. The record low is 52.66 ft (16.05 m) in July 1992. That spread matters for anyone working a dock, pump, or landing: the river can move through a large range over the long record, even if day-to-day changes are smaller.
Typical level in January is 57.56 ft (17.54 m). Typical level in June is 54.39 ft (16.58 m). The typical annual swing is 3.2 ft (96.6 cm). For cottagers and anglers, that is the main planning number here: winter water sits well above early-summer water, so shore access, mooring height, and shallow margins can all change through the year.
This page’s hero number is best read against the median for the same calendar day, not against the absolute elevation alone. A raw level can look high or low without context; the day-of-year median tells you whether the river is running above or below its usual position for this date.
The station is operated by the USGS. With more than 50 years on record, that comparison is grounded in a long local history, not just one 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 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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