Des Plaines River at River Forest, IL
River level and flood forecast · Cook County
Normal5.8 ftas of Mon 1 PM
The river is 10.2 ft below flood stage (16 ft).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Sep 20, 8:55 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 18.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 17.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 16 ft |
| Action stage | 13 ft |
| Record crest (April 19, 2013) | 18.98 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 20 ftMultiple residential structures threatened in River Forest. 1st Avenue threatened in Maywood. Backwater causes Silver Creek to threaten multiple residential structures in Melrose Park.
- 18 ftPortions of Forest Home Cemetery and Concordia Cemetery are inundated in Forest Park.
- 17.5 ftNorth Avenue (IL-64) threatened in River Grove and Melrose Park. Residential property threatened along River Oaks Drive.
- 16 ftChicago Avenue is threatened.
- 13 ftParking lots threatened at Trailside Museum.
- 10 ftForest preserve property threatend along the river.
Highest crests on record
- 18.98 ft — April 19, 2013
- 18.3 ft — September 14, 2008
- 17.5 ft — May 18, 2020
- 15.55 ft — July 22, 2017
- 14.42 ft — May 1, 2019
Recent crests: 17.5 ft (May 18, 2020) · 13.61 ft (May 2, 2020) · 14.03 ft (September 15, 2019) · 14.42 ft (May 1, 2019) · 13.91 ft (June 23, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamDes Plaines River at Des Plaines (Algonquin Road), IL
- DownstreamDes Plaines River at Riverside, IL
- Addison Creek at Bellwood, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Western Springs, IL
- Des Plaines River at Lyons, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Oak Brook, IL
- Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Stickney, IL
- Summit Conduit at Summit, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Elmhurst, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RVFI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.