South Skunk River at Colfax Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for South Skunk River at Colfax in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed south skunk
- Primary gauge 05471050 (USGS)
About South Skunk River at Colfax
The South Skunk River at Colfax is in the South Skunk watershed in Iowa.
What the record shows
This station has 41 years of record.
The highest level in the file is 23.36 ft (7.12 m), in August 2010. The lowest is 6.1 ft (1.86 m), in September 2012. That spread matters for anyone with a low bank, a pump intake, or a dock: this reach has seen water at very different stages over the record.
The usual seasonal pattern is a rise into June, when the typical level is 9.42 ft (2.87 m), followed by a lower stage in September, when the typical level is 7.01 ft (2.14 m). The typical annual swing is 28.9 in (73.4 cm). In practical terms, that is the space a shoreline setup has to accommodate across an average year.
The watershed
The gauge drains 803 sq mi (2080 km2) upstream of this station. That is the area feeding the reading here, not the full watershed on a map.
For people living along the river, that upstream area is why this site can respond to weather over a broad reach. Prairie-midwest hydrology often brings spring snowmelt and rain floods on frozen or saturated ground, then summer storm rises, with slow flat-land drainage after wet periods. On this river, that means a stage can stay elevated after the rain has passed, and summer jumps can arrive with little warning.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That tells you whether the river is running high or low for this date, instead of just giving a raw elevation that may look ordinary or alarming without context.
USGS operates this station. With more than 41 years of record, the day-of-year median is the better reference for cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching an intake or low crossing.
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.
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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
