Rathbun Lake near Rathbun Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Rathbun Lake near Rathbun in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed upper chariton
- Primary gauge 06903880 (USGS)
About Rathbun Lake near Rathbun
Rathbun Lake sits in the Upper Chariton watershed in Iowa.
Season by season
In this part of the Midwest, the water is usually highest in June at 906.21 ft (276.21 m) and lowest in December at 904.2 ft (275.6 m). That typical spread is 24.1 in (61.2 cm), so docks, intakes, and shallow shore access need to handle a modest but real seasonal change.
For people watching for spring runoff, the main pattern here is the same one seen across prairie drainage: snowmelt and rain can lift water quickly when the ground is still frozen or already wet. Summer is often a different kind of watch, with storm-driven rises that can come and go faster than the seasonal trend.
Records and rises
The record high is 926.71 ft (282.46 m), reached in July 2010. The record low is 902.23 ft (275 m), reached in December 2010. Those two marks show that this lake can move well beyond its typical June-to-December range.
The fastest 24-hour rise is not listed in the station facts here, so there is nothing to report on warning time from the record. Even so, the record range itself is enough to tell you that shoreline features, moorings, and low-lying access points should be checked against changing water levels, not just against the usual seasonal pattern.
Reading the hero number
This page’s hero number is most useful when it is read against the median for the same calendar day, not as a raw elevation on its own. A same-day comparison tells you whether the lake is running above or below its usual mark for this date.
This station is run by the USGS, and it has more than 19 years on record. That is enough history to make the calendar-day median a better local reference than a single number by itself.
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
