Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls water level

Name: Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls 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, Churchill River, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Surface elevation

38.91m Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:05 PM ADT (2 hours ago)

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Surface elevation Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls, where the gauge shows 38.91 m.

That puts it 0.13 m above the median of 38.78 m for mid-October, based on 14 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 38.93 m (−0.02 m).

It is still going down, by 0.08 m over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 38.73 m – 39.02 m.

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

Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 38.78 m0.13 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 16.18 m – 39.08 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (14 years of records)
Same day last year: 38.93 m−0.02 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 38.73 m – 39.02 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 38.55 m – 38.99 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 Churchill River

The Churchill River, formerly known by other names, is a river in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It flows east from the Smallwood Reservoir into the Atlantic Ocean via Lake Melville. The river is 856 km (532 mi) long and drains an area of 79,800 km2 (30,800 sq mi), making it the longest river in Atlantic Canada.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 6.8 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 6° 0° – Wind 18 km/h

21 Wed 7° -1° – Wind 20 km/h

22 Thu 5° 1° 1.8 mm, 45% Wind 19 km/h

23 Fri 4° -3° – Wind 16 km/h

24 Sat 9° -3° – Wind 13 km/h

25 Sun 10° 2° – Wind 21 km/h

26 Mon 8° 1° 0.6 mm, 26% Wind 30 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:39 AM Sunset 05:58 PM Daylight 10 hr, 19 min Waxing gibbous 70%

Map

Other gauges on the Churchill River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Churchill River at Happy ValleyRiver gauge, Churchill River	0.23 m	Low	+0.13 m	33 km
Churchill River below Traverspine RiverRiver gauge, Churchill River	0.24 m	Low	+0.13 m	34 km
Churchill River at End of Mud Lake RoadRiver gauge, Churchill River	−0.21 m	Very low	+0.16 m	41 km
Churchill River above Grizzle RapidsRiver gauge, Churchill River	39.03 m	High	−0.06 m	54 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Churchill River 6.15 Kms below Lower Muskrat FallsRiver gauge, Churchill River 6.15 Kms	2.07 m	Very low	+0.06 m	7.2 km
Mud Lake Outlet Tributary at Mud LakeRiver gauge, Mud Lake Outlet Tributary	−0.16 m	Very low	+0.11 m	41 km
Churchill River English PointRiver gauge	−0.24 m	Very low	+0.12 m	42 km
Churchill River Outlet at Rabbit IslandRiver gauge, Churchill River Outlet	−0.35 m	Very low	+0.10 m	46 km
Pinus RiverRiver gauge	1.74 m	Normal	−0.01 m	53 km

Questions and answers

How does the Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls compare with last year?

It is 0.02 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 38.93 m.

What is a normal level for the Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 38.78 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 16.18 m and 39.08 m, based on 14 years of records.

Is Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls really 38.91 m deep?

No. 38.91 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 Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:05 PM ADT, the surface elevation was 38.91 m. Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls rising or falling?

Down 0.08 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.03 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 14 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:03OE001 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 53.24511, -60.78211 (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

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Surface elevation	38.91 m	2026-10-20 17:05	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Churchill River above Upper Muskrat Falls (eccc:03OE001). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/newfoundland-and-labrador/churchill-river-above-upper-muskrat-falls

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