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SwedenColumbia River at Nicholson water level
River gauge, Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
- Flow
- 44.2 m³/s
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.57 m, the Columbia River at Nicholson is below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.68 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the water level is 0.12 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.43 m, a difference of +0.14 m.
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.57 m and 0.90 m.
Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.
Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.68 m0.12 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.47 m – 0.90 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Same day last year
- 0.43 m+0.14 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.57 m – 0.90 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.16 m – 1.00 m
Conditions at Columbia River at Nicholson
Low water means shallow riffles on canoe trips and warmer water for fish.
Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.
About the Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river forms in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven states of the United States and one Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by flow, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any river into the eastern Pacific.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
No rain in the last 3 days.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the Columbia River
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia River at DonaldRiver gauge, Columbia River | 0.99 m | Low | −0.01 m | 32 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kicking Horse River at GoldenRiver gauge, Kicking Horse River | 3.27 m | Low | −0.02 m | 7.6 km |
| Blaeberry River above Willowbank CreekRiver gauge, Blaeberry River | 0.91 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 27 km |
| Beaver River above Cupola CreekRiver gauge, Beaver River | 1.81 m | Low | −0.02 m | 48 km |
| Spillimacheen River near SpillimacheenRiver gauge, Spillimacheen River | 0.41 m | Low | −0.01 m | 52 km |
| Bow River at Lake LouiseRiver gauge, Bow River | 1.12 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 54 km |
| Pipestone River near Lake LouiseRiver gauge, Pipestone River | 0.55 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 55 km |
| Silverhorn Creek near the MouthRiver gauge, Silverhorn Creek | 7.28 m | Very high | ±0 | 66 km |
| Kootenay River at Kootenay CrossingRiver gauge, Kootenay River | 0.25 m | Low | ±0 | 72 km |
Questions and answers
Is the Columbia River at Nicholson higher than last year?
Yes, it is 0.14 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.43 m.
What is a normal level for the Columbia River at Nicholson in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.68 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.47 m and 0.90 m, based on 21 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 0.57 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Columbia River at Nicholson today?
On Oct 19, 2026, 05:15 AM MDT, the water level was 0.57 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Columbia River at Nicholson rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.16 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Columbia River at Nicholson normal?
Low for mid-October. Compared with 21 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:08NA002(Agency page)- Coordinates
51.24356, -116.91293(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 | 0.57 m | 2026-10-19 11:15 | Provisional |
| Flow | 44.2 m³/s | 2026-10-19 11:15 | Provisional |
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How to cite
Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Columbia River at Nicholson (eccc:08NA002). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/british-columbia/columbia-river-at-nicholson
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