North Raccoon River near Sac City Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for North Raccoon River near Sac City in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed north raccoon
- Primary gauge 05482300 (USGS)
About North Raccoon River near Sac City
The North Raccoon River near Sac City is in the North Raccoon watershed, Iowa.
The watershed
This gauge drains 700 sq mi (1813 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding the reading here, not the whole watershed name on the map.
For people watching the river, the record range is wide. The high mark is 19.25 ft (5.87 m) in March 2010. The low mark is 5.99 ft (1.83 m) in September 2012. Those two points set the outer bounds for what this reach has already shown.
What the numbers say
The seasonal pattern is fairly steady. The typical high month is June at 8.97 ft (2.74 m), and the typical low month is September at 6.79 ft (2.07 m). The typical annual swing is 26.2 in (66.5 cm).
For docks, pumps, and low crossings, that swing matters more than a single reading. June is the month to expect the most water on average; September is the month that tends to sit lowest. On this river, the gap between those two typical months is not large, but it is enough to change how close the water sits to intake points and low banks.
A long record helps separate one wet spell from the usual shape. This station has 50 years on record, so the seasonal pattern here is built from a decent span of seasons, not a short run of recent weather.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page should be read against the median for this calendar day at the station, not just against the raw elevation. That comparison tells you whether today is sitting above or below what is normal for this date.
That matters because a single height by itself can be misleading. A water level that looks ordinary in one month may be high for another, and the calendar-day median shows that difference directly.
This is a USGS station with 50 years on record, so the day-by-day median is the better anchor for day-to-day use than one isolated elevation.
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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Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
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
