Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling, IL
River level and flood forecast · Cook County
Normal1.6 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 3.4 ft below flood stage (5 ft).
Flow: 3 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 6 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 7.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 6.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 5 ft |
| Action stage | 4.5 ft |
| Record crest (June 26, 2013) | 8.46 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12.5 ftArlington Heights Road may be threatened in Buffalo Grove.
- 11 ftBuffalo Grove Road threatened at Lake Cook Road.
- 10.5 ftBuffalo Grove Village Hall threatened. A few residential structures threatened along Raupp Boulevard in Buffalo Grove.
- 10 ftHolmes Middle School threatened in Wheeling.
- 9.5 ftRaupp Boulevard threatened in Buffalo Grove.
- 9 ftWidespread inundation of roadways and structures begins between Elmhurst Road and Eugene Field School in Wheeling. Water begins to bypass the main channel to the southeast along McHenry Road and Wheeling Road causing widespread inundation of roadways and structures near Wheeling Town Center. Elmhurst Road (IL-83) threatened in Wheeling. Parking lots threatened at Buffalo Grove Village Hall. Large portions of Buffalo Grove Golf Club inundated.
- 8.5 ftMultiple commercial structures threatened near Elmhurst Road and Dundee Road in Wheeling. Widespread inundation of roadways and structures begins near Wolf Road and Jeffery Avenue in Wheeling. Multiple structures threatened along Northgate Parkway in Wheeling. McHenry Road threatened in Wheeling.
- 8 ftResidential structures threatened along Valley Stream Drive, Manda Lane, and side streets in Wheeling. Lake Cook Road threatened in Buffalo Grove. Weiland Road threatened at McHenry Road (IL-83) in Wheeling.
- 7.5 ftA few structures threatened along Dundee Road in Wheeling. Valley Stream Drive, Manda Lane, and side streets threatened in Wheeling.
- 7 ftA few structures threatened near Buffalo Grove Road and Lake Cook Road. A few structures threatened along St Marys Parkway near Lincoln Terrace in Buffalo Grove. Wolf Road and Jeffery Avenue threatened in Wheeling. Athletic fields threatened near Emmerich Park in Buffalo Grove. Agricultural land inundated in northwest Wheeling.
- 6.5 ftResidential parking lots threatened along McHenry Road. Low-lying portions of Buffalo Grove Golf Club inundated. Athletic fields threatened at Heritage Park in Wheeling.
- 6 ftLow-lying portions of Heritage Park inundated in Wheeling.
- 5 ftParking lots threatened along Buffalo Grove Road.
- 4.5 ftTrails threatened near Arlington Heights Road in Buffalo Grove. Low-lying portions of Emmerich Park inundated in Buffalo Grove.
- 4 ftWater overtops low-lying banks in Buffalo Grove and Wheeling.
Highest crests on record
- 8.46 ft — June 26, 2013
- 7.94 ft — July 22, 1982
- 7.83 ft — July 12, 2017
- 7.83 ft — August 23, 2007
- 7.56 ft — July 23, 2011
Recent crests: 7.42 ft (May 17, 2020) · 5.16 ft (April 29, 2020) · 4.78 ft (March 28, 2020) · 7 ft (September 13, 2019) · 6.2 ft (July 21, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamDes Plaines River near Des Plaines, IL
- Des Plaines River at Lincolnshire, IL
- McDonald Creek near Mount Prospect, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Northbrook, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Rolling Meadows, IL
- North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- Weller Creek at Des Plaines, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WHEI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.