McDonald Creek near Mount Prospect, IL
River level and flood forecast · Cook County
Normal0.8 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 4.2 ft below flood stage (5 ft).
Flow: 1 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 | 8 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 7 ft |
| Flood stage | 5 ft |
| Action stage | 3 ft |
| Record crest (August 14, 1987) | 8.08 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 12.5 ftNorth Central Service railroad tracks threatened near the creek in Mt Prospect.
- 11.5 ftNumerous residences threatened along the creek near Burning Bush Lane. Structures threatened at River Trails School in Mt Prospect.
- 9 ftMt Prospect Fire Station 14 threatened in Mt Prospect. Numerous commercial and industrial structures threatened along Foster Avenue in Wheeling. Parking lots threatened at River Trails School in Mt Prospect.
- 8.5 ftBurning Bush Lane threatened in Mt Prospect.
- 8 ftAthletic fields are inundated at Tamarack Trails Park in Mt Prospect.
- 7.5 ftCamp McDonald Road threatened in Prospect Heights and Wheeling. US-45 (Des Plaines River Road) and Kensington Road are threatened in Mt Prospect.
- 7 ftA few residences threatened along the creek between Willow Road and Euclid Avenue in Prospect Heights and Wheeling. Euclid Avenue and Wolf Road threatened in Mt Prospect.
- 6 ftTrails inundated at Woodland Trails in Mt Prospect.
- 3 ftWater overtops low-lying banks near the gauge in Prospect Heights and Wheeling.
Highest crests on record
- 8.08 ft — August 14, 1987
- 8.04 ft — July 13, 1957
- 7.73 ft — June 11, 1967
- 7.58 ft — June 20, 1972
- 7.46 ft — December 3, 1982
Recent crests: 6.4 ft (May 17, 2020) · 4.41 ft (September 13, 2019) · 5.05 ft (July 21, 2019) · 4.92 ft (May 1, 2019) · 6.78 ft (June 9, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamDes Plaines River at Des Plaines (Algonquin Road), IL
- Des Plaines River near Des Plaines, IL
- Weller Creek at Des Plaines, IL
- Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Northbrook, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- Salt Creek (IL) at Rolling Meadows, IL
- North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (MCDI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.