Little Wabash River below Clay City, IL
River level and flood forecast · Clay County
Normal4.0 ftas of Mon 2:30 PM
The river is 14.0 ft below flood stage (18 ft).
Flow: 14 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 | 25 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 18 ft |
| Action stage | 15 ft |
| Record crest (January 5, 1950) | 26.67 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 22 ftNorth Clay Road...1 mile east of the gage is flooded.
- 19.7 ftMayflower Road...just north of U.S. Route 50...begins to flood.
- 19 ft2600E Road begins to flood 1.5 miles south of Wynoose.
- 18.5 ftWilcox Bridge Lane floods just east of the Little Wabash River near the gage location. Blueflower Lane southeast of the gage begins to flood.
- 18 ftWater begins to flood left bank farmland.
- 16 ftMinor flooding begins to wooded areas and agricultural land immediately adjacent to the river.
Highest crests on record
- 26.67 ft — January 5, 1950
- 26.61 ft — May 10, 1961
- 26.3 ft — August 22, 1915
- 26.19 ft — May 19, 1995
- 25.97 ft — December 30, 2015
Recent crests: 17.35 ft (July 30, 2026) · 21.49 ft (June 28, 2026) · 17.64 ft (June 12, 2026) · 22.59 ft (May 20, 2026) · 21.51 ft (May 2, 2026)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamLittle Wabash River near Effingham, IL
- DownstreamLittle Wabash River at Carmi, IL
- Bonpas Creek above Browns, IL
- Skillet Fork River at Wayne City, IL
- Embarras River (IL) at Ste Marie, IL
- North Fork Embarras River near Oblong, IL
- Wabash River at Mount Carmel, IL
- Embarras River (IL) at Lawrenceville, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CLAI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.