How do you actually check for river conditions before going out to kayak?

I am a high schooler doing research on how people use USGS gauge data, and I'm trying to learn more about the process of using the data to kayak in whitewater.

I'd really like to know the following:

What did you check the last time you went out, and in what order? USGS / American Whitewater page? Weather conditions? What specifically do you check first thing you open the website?

Is there a number you look at that took you a while to learn how to read and understand? How did you deal with that? How cumbersome is this alternative?

Where do you get your thresholds for a specific river regarding streamflow and gage height, and how do you know if it's too dangerous to kayak in the whitewater?

I'm happy to share what I find back here once I've collected enough responses.