Des Plaines River near Des Plaines, IL
River level and flood forecast · Cook County
Normal10.0 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 5.0 ft below flood stage (15 ft).
Flow: 353 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Fri, Oct 2, 7:55 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 19 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 18 ft |
| Flood stage | 15 ft |
| Action stage | 13.5 ft |
| Record crest (April 19, 2013) | 20.92 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 22.5 ftStructures threatened at Chicago Executive Airport in Prospect Heights.
- 21.5 ftTaxiways and runways threatened at Chicago Executive Airport in Prospect Heights.
- 21 ftInundation of structures and roadways reaches up to 1 block from the river in Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, and Prospect Heights. Milwaukee Avenue threatened at Palatine Road in Prospect Heights. Algonquin Road threatened east of the river in Des Plaines.
- 20 ftWater reaches the top of the floodwall along Miner Street causing numerous structures and roadways to be threatened near Miner Street and Busse Highway in Des Plaines. Structures threatened along Prairie Avenue near South River Road in Des Plaines.
- 18.5 ftBig Bend Road threatened in Des Plaines.
- 17 ftCentral Road and Golf Road are threatened in Des Plaines.
- 15 ftStructures threatened at Methodist Campground in Des Plaines. Forest preserve roadways are threatened.
- 14 ftLow-lying Methodist Campground property and forest preserve property threatened near Des Plaines.
- 13 ftCamp Ground Road and Des Plaines River Trail threatened near Miner Street in Des Plaines.
- 12 ftLow-lying sections of the Des Plaines River Trail threatened near Des Plaines.
Highest crests on record
- 20.92 ft — April 19, 2013
- 20.880000000000003 ft — October 1, 1986
- 20 ft — September 14, 2008
- 19.92 ft — July 14, 2017
- 19.77 ft — May 18, 2020
Recent crests: 17.78 ft (March 12, 2021) · 19.77 ft (May 18, 2020) · 16.96 ft (May 2, 2020) · 15.15 ft (March 29, 2020) · 17.88 ft (September 14, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamDes Plaines River at Lincolnshire, IL
- DownstreamDes Plaines River at Des Plaines (Algonquin Road), IL
- McDonald Creek near Mount Prospect, IL
- Weller Creek at Des Plaines, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Northbrook, IL
- North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling, IL
- Skokie River at Highland Park, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (DSPI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.