Ohio River at Smithland Lock and Dam, IL
River level and flood forecast · Pope County
The river is 27.0 ft below flood stage (40 ft).
Forecast to rise to 16.7 ft Thu 7 PM, below the 40 ft flood stage.
Flow: 52,100 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:41 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 50 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 48 ft |
| Flood stage | 40 ft |
| Action stage | 35 ft |
| Record crest (May 6, 2011) | 54.83 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 51 ftLarge amounts of property damage can be expected. Evacuation of many homes and businesses becomes necessary. Highway 60 in Smithland closes.
- 40 ftMinor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding and low lying areas.
Highest crests on record
- 54.83 ft — May 6, 2011
- 51.83 ft — February 25, 2019
- 51.44 ft — March 12, 1997
- 50.14 ft — March 2, 2018
- 49.8 ft — January 8, 1991
Recent crests: 47.96 ft (April 15, 2025) · 44.04 ft (March 2, 2022) · 42.37 ft (March 10, 2021) · 46.59 ft (February 20, 2020) · 51.83 ft (February 25, 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 (SMLI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.