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French River at Wolseley Bay water level

River gauge, French River, Ontario, Canada

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Surface elevation

186.75m Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours

Flow
110 m³/s
186.5 187.0 187.5

History

History
186.5187.0187.5mOct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 17Oct 19186.5187.0187.5mOct 12Oct 16Oct 19
186.5187.0187.5mSep 19Sep 27Oct 4Oct 12Oct 19186.5187.0187.5mSep 19Oct 4Oct 19
Surface elevation Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at French River at Wolseley Bay, where the gauge shows 186.75 m.

The median for mid-October is 187.05 m, based on 18 years of readings, so the water level is 0.30 m below typical.

It is still going down, by 0.02 m over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 186.35 m – 186.77 m.

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

Compared with 18 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
187.05 m0.30 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
186.30 m – 187.71 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (18 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days
186.35 m – 186.77 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
186.36 m – 186.76 m

Freshet, ice and paddling

Open-water season is the time for canoe trips and fishing, though rapids change character with every few centimetres of water.

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the French River

French River (Ontario)

The French River is a river in Central Ontario, Canada. It flows 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Lake Nipissing southwest to Georgian Bay. The river largely follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District, and in most contexts is considered the dividing line between Northern and Southern Ontario. The French River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1986.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 8.6 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

19 Mon 19° 9° – Wind 22 km/h
20 Tue 13° 3° – Wind 11 km/h
21 Wed 15° 2° – Wind 16 km/h
22 Thu 16° 6° – Wind 8 km/h
23 Fri 14° 3° – Wind 10 km/h
24 Sat 15° 4° – Wind 12 km/h
25 Sun 17° 9° 0.3 mm Wind 21 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:44 AM Sunset 06:29 PM Daylight 10 hr, 45 min First quarter 60%

Map

Other gauges on the French River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
French River at Chaudiere DamRiver gauge, French River 187.79 m Low ±0 18 km
French River below Portage DamRiver gauge, French River 91.7 m³/s Normal +3.30 m³/s 19 km
French River at Horseshoe FallsRiver gauge, French River 10.6 m³/s Very low +0.81 m³/s 21 km
French River at Little French CutRiver gauge, French River 1.44 m³/s Low +0.27 m³/s 24 km
French River at Dry Pine BayRiver gauge, French River 1.03 m Normal +0.03 m 27 km
French River at Recollet FallsRiver gauge, French River 98.2 m³/s Very low +4.30 m³/s 28 km
French River at Hartley BayRiver gauge, French River 177.59 m Low +0.07 m 39 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Little French River at Okikendawt IslandRiver gauge, Little French River 18.2 m³/s Normal −0.40 m³/s 14 km
Pickerel River above Cantin LakeRiver gauge, Pickerel River 16.71 m Low −0.01 m 17 km
Dollars Lake below S NarrowsLake, Dollars Lake 7.60 m Very low ±0 21 km
Veuve River near VernerRiver gauge, Veuve River 0.44 m Low −0.01 m 35 km

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the French River at Wolseley Bay in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 187.05 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 186.30 m and 187.71 m, based on 18 years of records.

Is French River at Wolseley Bay really 186.75 m deep?

No. 186.75 m is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of French River at Wolseley Bay today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 09:40 AM EDT, the surface elevation was 186.75 m. Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours.

Is French River at Wolseley Bay rising or falling?

Down 0.02 m over the last 24 hours. Up 0.27 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of French River at Wolseley Bay normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 18 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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada, the official operator of this gauge, and are published under the Open Government Licence – Canada. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code
eccc:02DD026 (Agency page)
Coordinates
46.10572, -80.26528 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
GEODETIC SURVEY OF CANADA DATUM
Update interval
every hour
Licence
Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Surface elevation 186.75 m 2026-10-19 13:40 Provisional
Flow 110 m³/s 2026-10-19 13:40 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: French River at Wolseley Bay (eccc:02DD026). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/ontario/french-river-at-wolseley-bay

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.