Elk River at Fernie water level

Name: Elk River at Fernie water level (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada)
Creator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
License: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada

River gauge, Elk River, British Columbia, Canada

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

1.62m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 08:40 AM MDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 18.8 m³/s

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The gauge at Elk River at Fernie reads 1.62 m, a normal level for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 1.66 m, based on 16 years of readings, so the water level is 0.04 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 1.54 m, a difference of +0.08 m.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.62 m and 1.73 m.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 1.66 m0.04 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 1.54 m – 1.93 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
Same day last year: 1.54 m+0.08 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.62 m – 1.73 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.48 m – 1.98 m

Conditions at Elk River at Fernie

Paddlers should check the trend as well as the level; summer storms can raise rivers quickly.

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the Elk River

The Elk River is a 220-kilometre (140 mi) long river, in the southeastern Kootenay district of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its drainage basin is 4,450 square kilometres (1,720 sq mi) in area. Its mean discharge is approximately 60 cubic metres per second (2,100 cu ft/s), with a maximum recorded discharge of 818 cubic metres per second (28,900 cu ft/s). It is a tributary of the Kootenay River, and falls within the basin of the Columbia River.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

19 Mon 16° -3° – Wind 11 km/h

20 Tue 16° 7° – Wind 16 km/h

21 Wed 14° 3° – Wind 9 km/h

22 Thu 18° 5° 0.9 mm, 47% Wind 6 km/h

23 Fri 13° 6° 8.7 mm, 73% Wind 9 km/h

24 Sat 8° 2° 1.1 mm, 60% Wind 7 km/h

25 Sun 9° 1° – Wind 9 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:08 AM Sunset 06:43 PM Daylight 10 hr, 35 min First quarter 60%

Map

Other gauges on the Elk River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elk River at Elko Dam ForebayRiver gauge, Elk River	8.90 m	No reference yet	±0	24 km
Elk River below Elko Dam DiversionRiver gauge, Elk River	1.70 m	Normal	±0	24 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Hosmer Creek above DiversionsRiver gauge, Hosmer Creek	2.10 m	Very high	±0	12 km
Bull River near WardnerRiver gauge, Bull River	1.17 m	Low	±0	21 km
Kootenay River at Fort SteeleRiver gauge, Kootenay River	0.64 m	Low	−0.01 m	43 km
Fording River at the MouthRiver gauge, Fording River	1.90 m	High	±0	46 km
Line Creek at the MouthRiver gauge, Line Creek	0.64 m	Normal	±0	46 km
Crowsnest River at FrankRiver gauge, Crowsnest River	1.34 m	Normal	±0	49 km
Gold Creek near FrankRiver gauge, Gold Creek	1.12 m	High	±0	50 km
Castle River at Ranger StationRiver gauge, Castle River	1.61 m	Normal	±0	54 km

Questions and answers

Is the Elk River at Fernie higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.08 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.54 m.

What is a normal level for the Elk River at Fernie in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.66 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.54 m and 1.93 m, based on 16 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 1.62 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Elk River at Fernie today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 08:40 AM MDT, the water level was 1.62 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Elk River at Fernie rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Elk River at Fernie normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada publishes a new reading every hour. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:08NK002 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 49.50347, -115.07013 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: station datum (assumed datum)
Update interval: every hour
Licence: Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.62 m	2026-10-19 14:40	Provisional
Flow	18.8 m³/s	2026-10-19 14:40	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Elk River at Fernie (eccc:08NK002). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/british-columbia/elk-river-at-fernie

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer