WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Youghiogheny River at Connellsville in PA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Youghiogheny River in the Youghiogheny watershed, Pennsylvania.
The longest record on this page spans about 50 years. The high-water mark is 13.8 ft (4.21 m), set in September 2018. The low-water mark is 1.54 ft (0.47 m), set in November 2024.
The seasonal pattern is clear enough to matter for a dock, pump, or shore access point. February is the usual high month at 4.39 ft (1.34 m), while September is the usual low month at 2.5 ft (0.76 m). The typical annual swing is 22.7 in (57.7 cm).
For people on the river, that spread means the water can sit near its lower range late in the season and then climb into its higher range by late winter. The record low and record high show the limits of that range at this station. There is no fastest 24-hour rise listed here, so this page gives no short-term warning figure to carry forward.
The gauge drains 1326 sq mi (3434 km2) above this station. That is the land feeding this reading, not the whole Youghiogheny watershed.
In this part of Pennsylvania, the yearly rhythm is shaped by winter and spring rain and melt, with the lowest flows usually arriving in summer. Late-summer floods can still happen when tropical remnants bring heavy rain. The seasonal record on this page fits that pattern: February is the usual high month, and September is the usual low month.
For anglers, that means access, current, and shoreline exposure can change a lot across the year. For cottagers and anyone with an intake or landing, the difference between 4.39 ft (1.34 m) and 2.5 ft (0.76 m) is enough to change what is usable and when.
The hero number is most useful when you compare today’s reading to the median for this calendar day, not to raw elevation alone. A river can sit higher or lower than another day and still be normal for the season; the daily median shows whether this station is running above or below its own usual pattern.
This station is run by the U.S. Geological Survey, and its record here goes back about 50 years. That length of record is what gives the daily median its value: it puts the current reading against the river’s own history at Connellsville, instead of against a fixed number that says little about local conditions.
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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