Niobrara River at Agate, Nebr. Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Niobrara River at Agate, Nebr. in NE, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NE, United States
- Watershed niobrara headwaters
- Primary gauge 06454100 (USGS)
About Niobrara River at Agate, Nebr.
Niobrara River at Agate, Nebr. is a gauged river in the Niobrara Headwaters watershed, Nebraska.
Season by season
April is the typical high month here, with a level of 4.15 ft (1.26 m). January is the typical low month, at 2.76 ft (0.84 m). For anyone using a dock, intake, or bank access point, that spread matters more than a single reading: the river does not sit at one steady mark through the year.
The typical annual swing is 16.7 in (42.4 cm), which is a modest seasonal change in daily use, but it still shows up in shallow margins and at fixed waterworks. In this part of the Plains, spring snowmelt and rain floods are the main times to watch for higher water, while summer convective storms can bring short jumps. Some rivers in the region stay steadier than others because of groundwater input, and that is the kind of pattern regular users learn to read over time.
Records and rises
The highest level in the record is 9.88 ft (3.01 m) in March 2014. The lowest is 2.42 ft (0.74 m) in February 1981. Those two marks define the reach this station has seen: one end of the range is high enough to test low crossings and shore access, while the other end shows how much the channel can drop when water is thin.
With 50 years on record, this station gives enough history to put today in context. A river that has reached 9.88 ft (3.01 m) before can do so again, and a low like 2.42 ft (0.74 m) is part of the normal memory of the site. For cottagers and anglers, that history is often more useful than a single day’s number because it shows the range the river has actually lived through.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is today’s reading set beside the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is better than using raw elevation alone, because the same height can mean different things at different times of year. A reading that sits above the calendar-day median points to water running higher than usual for this date; one below it points the other way.
This station is operated by the USGS, and the comparison draws on more than 50 years of record. For people watching access, fishing water, or upstream supply, the calendar-day median gives the cleanest sense of where the river stands right now in its own seasonal pattern.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
Water Stories
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The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.
How every number is computed - About the platform
