Canada
United States
Belgium
France
Ireland
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Austria
Czechia
Germany
Poland
Slovenia
Switzerland
Italy
Spain
Türkiye
Denmark
Finland
Norway
SwedenKootenay River at Kootenay Crossing water level
River gauge, Kootenay River, British Columbia, Canada
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
- Flow
- 0.92 m³/s
History
20252026
What this means
Low water at Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing: the gauge reads 0.24 m, below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.33 m, based on 16 years of readings, so the water level is 0.09 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 0.20 m, a difference of +0.05 m.
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.24 m – 0.39 m.
Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.
Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.33 m0.09 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.23 m – 0.44 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
- Same day last year
- 0.20 m+0.05 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.24 m – 0.39 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.11 m – 0.49 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 Kootenay River
The Kootenay River or Kootenai River is a major river of the Northwest Plateau in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Kootenay River runs 781 kilometres (485 mi) from its headwaters in the Kootenay Ranges of the Canadian Rockies, flowing from British Columbia's East Kootenay region into northwestern Montana, then west into the northernmost Idaho Panhandle and returning to British Columbia in the West Kootenay region, where it joins the Columbia at Castlegar.
Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.
Weather at the gauge
Rain in the last 3 days: 2.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.
Forecast: Open-Meteo
Map
Other gauges on the Kootenay River
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kootenay River at Fort SteeleRiver gauge, Kootenay River | 0.63 m | Low | −0.01 m | 145 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spillimacheen River near SpillimacheenRiver gauge, Spillimacheen River | 0.41 m | Low | −0.01 m | 25 km |
| Spray River at BanffRiver gauge, Spray River | 0.99 m | Very high | ±0 | 46 km |
| Bow River at BanffRiver gauge, Bow River | 1.99 m | Low | −0.01 m | 46 km |
| Bow River at Lake LouiseRiver gauge, Bow River | 1.11 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 61 km |
| Pipestone River near Lake LouiseRiver gauge, Pipestone River | 0.52 m | Normal | −0.02 m | 61 km |
| Columbia River at NicholsonRiver gauge, Columbia River | 0.55 m | Low | −0.01 m | 72 km |
| Kicking Horse River at GoldenRiver gauge, Kicking Horse River | 3.26 m | Low | −0.01 m | 79 km |
| Blaeberry River above Willowbank CreekRiver gauge, Blaeberry River | 0.91 m | Normal | −0.01 m | 92 km |
Questions and answers
Is the Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing higher than last year?
Yes, it is 0.05 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 0.20 m.
What is a normal level for the Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.33 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.23 m and 0.44 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 0.24 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing today?
On Oct 20, 2026, 08:10 AM MDT, the water level was 0.24 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 m over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing normal?
Low 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:08NF001(Agency page)- Coordinates
50.88703, -116.04610(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 | 0.24 m | 2026-10-20 14:10 | Provisional |
| Flow | 0.92 m³/s | 2026-10-20 14:10 | Provisional |
Download
Embed this gauge
Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.
How to cite
Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Kootenay River at Kootenay Crossing (eccc:08NF001). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/british-columbia/kootenay-river-at-kootenay-crossing
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