River Levels
Illinois river levels
Live streamflow for 115 gauged Illinois reaches, highest first. Where a gauge has a long enough record, the reading is placed against its own history for today's date.
71% of gauged Illinois rivers are running in their normal range for the date, as of October 25, 2026.
Of 58 gauged reaches with a long enough USGS record, 8 are below normal (3 of them much below), 41 are in the normal range, and 9 are above normal (1 of them much above). Normal means the middle half of that gauge's own history for this calendar date.
To cite: Boating Hubs analysis of USGS streamflow, boatinghubs.com/flows/illinois.
| River | Flow | Usually today | Vs normal | NWS flood status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi RiverMississippi River at Thebes, IL | 172,000 cfs15.17 ft | 120,000 cfs | Normal70th percentile · 93 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Mississippi RiverMississippi River at Chester, IL | 168,000 cfs10.64 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Mississippi RiverMississippi River at Grafton, IL | 106,000 cfs16.06 ft | 76,300 cfs | Normal64th percentile · 40 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 16.1 ft by Sun 1 PM, below flood stage. |
| Illinois RiverIllinois River at Valley City, IL | 10,800 cfs3.38 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Wabash RiverWabash River at MT. Carmel, IL | 8,200 cfs3.71 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 3.7 ft by Sun 1 PM, below flood stage. |
| Illinois RiverIllinois River at Kingston Mines, IL | 8,030 cfs4.74 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Illinois RiverIllinois River at Henry, IL | 7,380 cfs14.70 ft | 8,130 cfs | Normal42nd percentile · 45 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 14.7 ft by Sun 1 PM, below flood stage. |
| Rock RiverRock River near Joslin, IL | 6,360 cfs6.70 ft | 4,150 cfs | Normal71st percentile · 87 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 6.6 ft by Sun 1 PM, below flood stage. |
| Rock RiverRock River at Como, IL | 6,050 cfs4.60 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Rock RiverRock River at Byron, IL | 5,410 cfs6.67 ft | 4,060 cfs | Normal59th percentile · 26 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Illinois RiverIllinois River at Morris, IL | 4,450 cfs5.01 ft | 5,600 cfs | Normal25th percentile · 10 yr record | Below flood stageNWS forecast: 5 ft by Sun 1 PM, below flood stage. |
| Des Plaines RiverDes Plaines River at Route 53 at Joliet, IL | 4,170 cfs539.01 ft | 2,570 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 21 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Rock RiverRock River at Rockton, IL | 4,160 cfs4.78 ft | 3,010 cfs | Normal68th percentile · 87 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Kankakee RiverKankakee River near Wilmington, IL | 1,820 cfs1.43 ft | 1,500 cfs | Normal55th percentile · 91 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Fox RiverFox River at Montgomery, IL | 1,060 cfs11.48 ft | 821 cfs | Normal55th percentile · 24 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Pecatonica RiverPecatonica River at Freeport, IL | 982 cfs5.23 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Fox RiverFox River (tailwater) at Algonquin, IL | 950 cfs5.90 ft | 718 cfs | Normal55th percentile · 17 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Spoon RiverSpoon River at Seville, IL | 826 cfs7.53 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Green RiverGreen River near Geneseo, IL | 808 cfs4.27 ft | 227 cfs | Above normal84th percentile · 90 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Spoon RiverSpoon River at London Mills, IL | 619 cfs4.11 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Kaskaskia RiverKaskaskia River at New Athens, IL | 485 cfs68.68 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Sangamon RiverSangamon River near Oakford, IL | 372 cfs3.35 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Henderson CreekHenderson Creek near Oquawka, IL | 357 cfs15.24 ft | 42 cfs | Much above normal90th percentile · 92 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 21.5 ft. NWS reads 15.24 ft here. |
| Edwards RiverEdwards River near New Boston, IL | 264 cfs13.81 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Iroquois RiverIroquois River near Chebanse, IL | 203 cfs2.79 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| La Moine RiverLA Moine River at Ripley, IL | 135 cfs5.39 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Nippersink CreekNippersink Creek near Spring Grove, IL | 127 cfs4.42 ft | 74 cfs | Normal75th percentile · 60 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 11 ft. NWS reads 4.41 ft here. |
| Kaskaskia RiverKaskaskia River near Venedy Station, IL | 124 cfs1.04 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Sangamon RiverSangamon River at Petersburg, IL | 121 cfs4.31 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Pope CreekPope Creek near Keithsburg, IL | 114 cfs19.64 ft | 16 cfs | Above normal90th percentile · 92 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 24 ft. NWS reads 19.63 ft here. |
| Vermilion RiverVermilion River near Danville, IL | 112 cfs2.53 ft | 106 cfs | Normal51st percentile · 112 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| East Branch Du Page RiverEast Branch DU Page River at Bolingbrook, IL | 103 cfs14.88 ft | 69 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 38 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Iroquois RiverIroquois River at Iroquois, IL | 92 cfs5.25 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Apple RiverApple River near Hanover, IL | 86 cfs4.21 ft | 69 cfs | Normal59th percentile · 92 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Big Bureau CreekBig Bureau Creek at Princeton, IL | 86 cfs3.07 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Elkhorn CreekElkhorn Creek near Penrose, IL | 85 cfs3.20 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Kishwaukee RiverKishwaukee River at Marengo, IL | 78 cfs7.54 ft | 56 cfs | Normal55th percentile · 15 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 12 ft. NWS reads 7.52 ft here. |
| East Fork La Moine RiverLA Moine River at Colmar, IL | 75 cfs4.17 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Aux Sable CreekAux Sable Creek near Morris, IL | 69 cfs3.26 ft | 20 cfs | Normal73rd percentile · 19 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 11 ft. NWS reads 3.31 ft here. |
| Mackinaw RiverMackinaw River near Green Valley, IL | 68 cfs13.80 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Embarras RiverEmbarras River at Lawrenceville, IL | 62 cfs16.63 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Mackinaw RiverMackinaw River near Congerville, IL | 60 cfs1.12 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Mason Tazewell Drainage DitchMason Tazewell Drainage D at CR2350E near Topeka, IL | 59 cfs15.42 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Calumet RiverLittle Calumet River at South Holland, IL | 54 cfs5.43 ft | 62 cfs | Normal40th percentile · 79 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Blackberry CreekBlackberry Creek near Yorkville, IL | 53 cfs3.67 ft | 25 cfs | Above normal78th percentile · 66 yr record | No NWS flood stage |
| Kaskaskia RiverKaskaskia River near Cowden, IL | 52 cfs2.25 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | Below flood stageFlood stage 15 ft. NWS reads 2.33 ft here. |
| South Branch Kishwaukee RiverSouth Branch Kishwaukee River at Dekalb, IL | 51 cfs3.42 ft | 7.4 cfs | Above normal81st percentile · 101 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Hickory CreekHickory Creek at Joliet, IL | 50 cfs10.80 ft | 21 cfs | Normal75th percentile · 82 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 16.5 ft. NWS reads 10.8 ft here. |
| West Branch Du Page RiverWest Branch DU Page River near Warrenville, IL | 48 cfs7.70 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Indian CreekIndian Creek near Wyoming, IL | 48 cfs9.91 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Big Muddy RiverBig Muddy River at Rte 127 at Murphysboro, IL | 48 cfs3.17 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Embarras RiverEmbarras River at Ste. Marie, IL | 48 cfs0.77 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Big Muddy RiverBig Muddy River below Rend Lake near Benton, IL | 45 cfs7.54 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Middle Fork Big Muddy RiverBig Muddy River at Plumfield, IL | 45 cfs2.48 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Vermilion RiverVermilion River near Leonore, IL | 43 cfs3.49 ft | 91 cfs | Normal32nd percentile · 55 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| Thorn CreekThorn Creek at Thornton, IL | 42 cfs2.82 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Sugar CreekSugar Creek near Bloomington, IL | 37 cfs1.04 ft | Not recorded | No historical record | No NWS flood stage |
| Ferson CreekFerson Creek near ST. Charles, IL | 35 cfs1.90 ft | 16 cfs | Above normal76th percentile · 65 yr record | Below flood stageFlood stage 6 ft. NWS reads 1.78 ft here. |
| Sangamon RiverSangamon River at Monticello, IL | 34 cfs4.85 ft | 28 cfs | Normal52nd percentile · 118 yr record | Below flood stageNWS issues forecasts here only during high water. |
| DuPage RiverEast Branch Dupage River at Short ST at Lisle, IL | 33 cfs5.46 ft | 88 cfs | No historical record | Flood stage 13 ft. NWS reads 5.46 ft here. |
Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey, updated hourly. "Usually today" is the median for this calendar date over the gauge's full record. A gauge tells you how much water is moving, not whether a stretch is safe to run: check the channel, the hazards and a current local notice before you launch. Flood stages and forecasts: NOAA National Weather Service; "Vs normal" is our comparison with the USGS record, not a National Weather Service product.
By state
Other states
Alabama
104 gauges
Alaska
20 gauges
Arizona
107 gauges
Arkansas
83 gauges
California
292 gauges
Colorado
175 gauges
Connecticut
41 gauges
Florida
119 gauges
Georgia
168 gauges
Hawaii
12 gauges
Idaho
128 gauges
Indiana
131 gauges
Iowa
99 gauges
Kansas
130 gauges
Kentucky
112 gauges
Louisiana
55 gauges
Maine
49 gauges
Maryland
66 gauges
Massachusetts
60 gauges
Michigan
137 gauges
Minnesota
96 gauges
Mississippi
70 gauges
Missouri
156 gauges
Montana
162 gauges
Nebraska
96 gauges
Nevada
64 gauges
New Hampshire
37 gauges
New Jersey
74 gauges
New Mexico
84 gauges
New York
190 gauges
North Carolina
157 gauges
North Dakota
78 gauges
Ohio
127 gauges
Oklahoma
108 gauges
Oregon
151 gauges
Pennsylvania
179 gauges
Rhode Island
14 gauges
South Carolina
82 gauges
South Dakota
79 gauges
Tennessee
91 gauges
Texas
369 gauges
Utah
116 gauges
Vermont
44 gauges
Virginia
142 gauges
Washington
165 gauges
West Virginia
78 gauges
Wisconsin
103 gauges
Wyoming
89 gauges
