Des Plaines River near Russell, IL
River level and flood forecast · Lake County
Normal5.2 ftas of Mon 2:30 PM
The river is 1.8 ft below flood stage (7 ft).
Flow: 94 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Fri, Oct 9, 8:46 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 10 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 9 ft |
| Flood stage | 7 ft |
| Action stage | 6.5 ft |
| Record crest (July 14, 2017) | 12.11 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 16 ftCommercial parking lots threatened along Skokie Highway (US-41).
- 15 ftKilbourne Road threatened. Commercial parking lots threatened along Dilleys Road.
- 13.5 ftWadsworth Road threatened in Wadsworth.
- 13 ftSkokie Highway (US-41) threatened south of Wadsworth Road in Wadsworth. Widespread inundation reaches up to a half mile from the river in Russell and Wadsworth.
- 12.5 ftRosecrans Road (IL-173) threatened near Wadsworth.
- 12 ftResidential structures threatened along Ingram Drive. Russell Road threatened. Roadways and trails threatened at Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve.
- 9.5 ftResidential structures threatened along Russell Road between the river and Kilbourne Road. Industrial parking lots threatened along Kilbourne Road.
- 8 ftAgricultural and park land is inundated near the river. Residential property is threatened near the river.
- 7 ftLow-lying wetlands and agricultural land is inundated near the river.
Highest crests on record
- 12.11 ft — July 14, 2017
- 11.09 ft — May 23, 2004
- 10.75 ft — March 6, 1976
- 10.75 ft — September 27, 1986
- 10.51 ft — August 24, 2007
Recent crests: 7.1 ft (March 12, 2021) · 8.9 ft (May 20, 2020) · 9.03 ft (May 1, 2020) · 7.87 ft (March 31, 2020) · 7 ft (October 31, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (RUSI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.