Des Plaines River at Lyons, IL
River level and flood forecast · Cook County
Normal11.6 ftas of Mon 1 PM
The river is 6.4 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
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 | 22 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 19 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (April 18, 2013) | 22.87 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 24 ftWidespread inundation of industrial property and structures north of the river in McCook. Numerous residences threatened near the river in Lyons.
- 23.5 ftWater reaches the top of the west bank levees in Lyons and McCook.
- 22 ftWater reaches the top of the east bank levee in Lyons, Stickney, and Forest View.
- 21 ftWithout flood protection from levees, widespread inundation of industrial property and structures would occur north of the river in McCook.
- 20 ftStructures are threatened along River Road near the river in Hodgkins.
- 19 ftIndustrial parking area near the river and I-55 is threatened.
- 14 ftWithout flood protection from levees, water would begin to bypass the main river channel through Chicago Portage toward the Chicago River Basin and areas once covered by Mud Lake.
Highest crests on record
- 22.87 ft — April 18, 2013
- 22.71 ft — May 18, 2020
- 20.75 ft — October 15, 2017
- 20.09 ft — May 1, 2019
- 19.81 ft — July 22, 2017
Recent crests: 22.71 ft (May 18, 2020) · 20.09 ft (May 1, 2019) · 19.58 ft (February 21, 2018) · 20.75 ft (October 15, 2017) · 19.81 ft (July 22, 2017)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamDes Plaines River at Riverside, IL
- DownstreamDes Plaines River near Lemont, IL
- Summit Conduit at Summit, IL
- Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Stickney, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Western Springs, IL
- Des Plaines River at River Forest, IL
- Addison Creek at Bellwood, IL
- Flag Creek near Willow Springs, IL
- Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave), IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (LYNI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.