West Fork North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
River level and flood forecast · Lake County
Normal7.2 ftas of Mon 3:40 PM
The river is 5.8 ft below flood stage (13 ft).
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 | 16 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 14 ft |
| Flood stage | 13 ft |
| Action stage | 11 ft |
| Record crest (June 10, 1967) | 16.84 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 19.5 ftI-94 threatened.
- 18 ftNumerous commercial structures threatened off Lake-Cook Road and Pfingsten Road. Residential structures threatened along Hazel Avenue. Lake-Cook Road and Pfingsten Road threatened.
- 17.5 ftDeerfield Wastewater Treatment Plant threatened. Residential structures threatened along Mallard Lane and Princeton Lane.
- 17 ftResidential structures threatened along Gerard Drive, Forestway Drive, Anthony Lane, and Deerpath Drive. Deerfield Road, Central Avenue, Wilmot Road, and Hazel Avenue threatened. Large portions of Jaycee Memorial Park inundated. Athletic fields at Shephard Park inundated.
- 16.5 ftSeveral residential structures threatened along Cranshire Court, Hampton Court, and Arbor Vitae Road. A few commercial structures threatened off Lake-Cook Road and Pfingsten Road. Forestway Drive and Juniper Court threatened.
- 16 ftA few residential structures threatened along Maple Court. Gerard Drive threatened.
- 15.5 ftA few residential structures threatened along Cranshire Court. Hampton Court threatened.
- 13.5 ftCommercial parking lots threatened off Lake-Cook Road and Pfingsten Road.
- 12 ftWater begins to be diverted into the stormwater detention reservoir near Lake-Cook Road.
- 9 ftWater overflows low-lying banks in Deerfield.
Highest crests on record
- 16.84 ft — June 10, 1967
- 14.9 ft — July 21, 2019
- 14.81 ft — September 3, 2018
- 14.44 ft — September 13, 2019
- 14.06 ft — October 14, 2017
Recent crests: 13.88 ft (May 23, 2020) · 14.02 ft (May 17, 2020) · 14.44 ft (September 13, 2019) · 14.9 ft (July 21, 2019) · 14.81 ft (September 3, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- DownstreamWest Fork North Branch Chicago River at Northbrook, IL
- North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL
- Skokie River at Highland Park, IL
- Des Plaines River at Lincolnshire, IL
- Skokie River at Lake Forest, IL
- Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling, IL
- McDonald Creek near Mount Prospect, IL
- Des Plaines River near Des Plaines, IL
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (DRWI2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.