Rivers in Illinois

Little Wabash River below Clay City

Clay County, IllinoisNWS CLAI2USGS 03379500Lincoln office

Below flood stage
5.27ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 5:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
18.00 ft
Record crest
26.67 ft1950

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood25.00 ft
Moderate flood22.00 ft
Minor flood18.00 ft
Action15.00 ft
  1. 22.00 ftNorth Clay Road...1 mile east of the gage is flooded.
  2. 19.70 ftMayflower Road...just north of U.S. Route 50...begins to flood.
  3. 19.00 ft2600E Road begins to flood 1.5 miles south of Wynoose.
  4. 18.50 ftWilcox Bridge Lane floods just east of the Little Wabash River near the gage location. Blueflower Lane southeast of the gage begins to flood.
  5. 18.00 ftWater begins to flood left bank farmland.
  6. 16.00 ftMinor flooding begins to wooded areas and agricultural land immediately adjacent to the river.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding43%
Moderate flooding8%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 22, 2026.

Crest history

389 crests on NOAA’s list since 1915.

#DateStage
1January 5, 195026.67 ft
2May 10, 196126.61 ft
3August 22, 191526.30 ft
4May 19, 199526.19 ft
5December 30, 201525.97 ft
6May 20, 194325.80 ft
7January 7, 200525.45 ft
8January 31, 191625.10 ft
9December 23, 196724.91 ft
10May 17, 199024.76 ft
11April 7, 202524.74 ft
12May 15, 200224.66 ft
13April 23, 198424.42 ft
14April 29, 201124.40 ft
15November 20, 198524.22 ft
16November 20, 198624.22 ft
17January 13, 202024.18 ft
18February 25, 198524.17 ft
19November 17, 199324.06 ft
20February 1, 196924.06 ft
21March 21, 192724.00 ft
22June 17, 195723.94 ft
23December 21, 195723.87 ft
24July 7, 200023.86 ft
25March 16, 192223.80 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 30, 2026: 17.35 ft
  • June 28, 2026: 21.49 ft
  • June 12, 2026: 17.64 ft
  • May 20, 2026: 22.59 ft
  • May 2, 2026: 21.51 ft
  • March 7, 2026: 21.42 ft
  • February 16, 2026: 15.93 ft
  • July 23, 2025: 21.01 ft
  • July 16, 2025: 16.48 ft
  • July 3, 2025: 15.86 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Ohio River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.