North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
River level and flood forecast · Lake County
Normal4.4 ftas of Mon 1:40 PM
The river is 5.1 ft below flood stage (9.5 ft).
Flow: 3 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 | 13.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 11.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 9.5 ft |
| Action stage | 8.5 ft |
| Record crest (July 13, 2017) | 12.75 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 15.5 ftResidences threatened along Red Coach Lane and Williamsburg Drive in Northbrook.
- 13.5 ftStructures threatened at Northbrook Court in Northbrook. Residences threatened along River Road in Deerfield. Residences threatened along Rosemary Lane and Waters Edge Lane in Northbrook.
- 12.5 ftResidences threatened along Tanglewood Court and Red Oak Lane in Highland Park. Parking lots at Northbrook Court threatened in Northbrook.
- 11.5 ftLake Cook Road threatened at Northbrook Court. Rosemary Lane and Waters Edge Lane threatened in Northbrook.
- 11 ftTanglewood Court threatened in Highland Park. Carriage Way threatened in Deerfield.
- 9.5 ftLee Road threatened at Dundee Road in Northbrook.
- 9 ftWater overtops low-lying banks in Chipilly Woods and Somme Woods in Northbrook.
- 8.5 ftWater overtops low-lying banks in Trail Tree Park and Briarwood Park in Deerfield.
Highest crests on record
- 12.75 ft — July 13, 2017
- 12.1 ft — September 3, 2018
- 11.88 ft — September 13, 2019
- 11.55 ft — October 13, 2001
- 11.52 ft — August 14, 1987
Recent crests: 11.01 ft (May 17, 2020) · 10.45 ft (April 30, 2020) · 10.24 ft (March 28, 2020) · 10.27 ft (October 27, 2019) · 11.88 ft (September 13, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamNorth Branch Chicago River at Niles, IL
- Skokie River at Highland Park, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Northbrook, IL
- West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- Skokie River at Lake Forest, IL
- Des Plaines River near Des Plaines, IL
- Des Plaines River at Lincolnshire, IL
- McDonald Creek near Mount Prospect, IL
- Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (DRFI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.