Second Creek near Barber Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Second Creek near Barber in NC, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NC, United States
- Watershed south yadkin
- Primary gauge 02120780 (USGS)
About Second Creek near Barber
Second Creek near Barber sits in the South Yadkin watershed in North Carolina.
The watershed
This USGS station drains 118 sq mi (306 km2) upstream of the gauge, so the number on the page reflects local runoff from that area, not the full South Yadkin basin. For people living near the creek, that matters: a small catchment can move quickly when rain is widespread, and it can also settle back quickly when storms pass.
The record here runs back 47 years, which gives a useful spread of wet and dry seasons to compare against. On this creek, the seasonal high typically comes in March at 2.66 ft (0.81 m), while the seasonal low usually comes in September at 2.05 ft (0.63 m). That is a typical annual swing of 7.2 in (18.4 cm). For a dock, pump intake, or fishing access, that swing is the everyday range to watch.
What the numbers say
The highest reading in the record is 16.75 ft (5.11 m) in February 2020. The lowest is 1.5 ft (0.46 m) in August 2002. Those two values set the outer edges of what this creek has shown at the gauge.
Seasonally, the creek is highest in late winter and lowest in late summer. That matches a rain-driven pattern where winter and spring storms build the annual peak, while warm-season flows tend to ease between storms. The record itself is the part that matters on the bank: if you use the creek for access, irrigation, or fishing, the gap between 2.66 ft (0.81 m) and 2.05 ft (0.63 m) is the routine change, while the record high and low mark the extremes.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is most useful when you compare today’s stage with the median for the same calendar day across the station record, not with raw elevation alone. A stage can look high or low in isolation, but the same number means something different in March than it does in September.
This station is monitored by the USGS, and the 47 years of record give that comparison real context.
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.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
