Willow River near Wabasca Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Willow River near Wabasca in AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location AB, Canada
- Watershed upper wabasca
- Primary gauge 07JA003 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Willow River near Wabasca
Willow River near Wabasca in the Upper Wabasca watershed of Alberta is a monitored river with 40 years on record.
Season by season
Typical levels are highest in May at 2.81 m (9.21 ft) and lowest in February at 1.94 m (6.36 ft). That seasonal swing is 86.7 cm (34.1 in), so docks, intakes, and access points here need to tolerate a noticeable change through the year.
For people using the river, May is the month to watch for higher water on the bank and along shallow crossings. February is the lower-water reference point in the record, when exposed edges and reduced depth are more likely to matter for boating and water use.
The regional pattern fits foothills and prairie hydrology: mountain snowmelt drives late-spring peaks, and summer convective storms can produce sharp rises.
Records and rises
The record high is 5.6 m (18.38 ft) in June 2018. The record low is 1.54 m (5.04 ft) in October 2022. That range tells you the river can move from a low autumn stage to a much higher early-summer stage.
No fastest 24-hour rise is given in the facts, so I won’t add one. Without that figure, the best warning is the seasonal pattern itself: conditions can change enough from February to May to affect shoreline use, and the record high shows the upper end that flood-watchers and cottagers should keep in mind.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page should be read against the median for this calendar day, not as a raw elevation by itself. That comparison shows whether the river is running higher or lower than usual for today at this station.
For this station, the daily context comes from the Water Survey of Canada, and the record spans about 40 years.
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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The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
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
