Rivers in Oklahoma
Illinois River (AR OK) near Tahlequah
Below flood stage
4.84ftStage
Observed Wed, Sep 23, 5:30 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 11.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 4.80 ftWed, Sep 23, 7:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 30.69 ft2015
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 18.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 14.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 11.00 ft |
| Action | 9.00 ft |
- 31.00 ftdevastating flooding occurs along the Illinois River from near Hanging Rock to the headwaters of Lake Tenkiller. Impacts will be similar to the record flood of 30.7 feet in December 2015. State Highway 10 is closed northeast of its intersection with Highway 51. Many cabins and parks are severely flooded or are totally isolated for an extended duration. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 29.00 ftdevastating flooding occurs along the Illinois River from near Hanging Rock to the headwaters of Lake Tenkiller. State Highway 10 is closed northeast of its intersection with Highway 51. Many cabins and parks are severely flooded or are totally isolated for an extended duration. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation. This will approach the record flood of 30.7 feet in December 2015.
- 27.00 ftdevastating flooding occurs along the Illinois River from near Hanging Rock to the headwaters of Lake Tenkiller. State Highway 10 is closed northeast of its intersection with Highway 51. Many cabins and parks are severely flooded or are totally isolated for an extended duration. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation. This will exceed the April 2011 flood of 26 feet and approach the May 1950 flood of 27.9 feet.
- 25.00 ftdevastating flooding occurs along the Illinois River from near Hanging Rock to the headwaters of Lake Tenkiller. State Highway 10 is closed northeast of its intersection with Highway 51. Many cabins and parks are severely flooded or are totally isolated for an extended duration. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation. This will approach the April 2011 flood, which reached 26 feet.
- 23.00 ftextremely severe flooding occurs along the Illinois River from near Hanging Rock to the headwaters of Lake Tenkiller. State Highway 10 is closed northeast of its intersection with Highway 62. Several cabins and parks are severely flooded and many others are isolated for an extended duration. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 21.00 ftvery severe flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. State Highway 10 is closed between Hanging Rock and No Head Hollow north of the Highway 10 intersection with Highway 62. Several cabins and parks are severely flooded and many others are isolated. This is a very dangerous and life threatening situation.
- 19.00 ftsevere flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. State Highway 10 near Hanging Rock and near No Head Hollow north of the intersection with Highway 62 is impassable. Some cabins and parks are severely flooded. This is a very dangerous situation.
- 18.00 ftsevere flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Highway 10 near Hanging Rock northeast of Tahlequah is impassable. Some cabins and parks are severely flooded. This is a very dangerous situation. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 17.00 ftsevere flooding occurs from Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Access roads east of Combs Bridge near Eagles Bluff are impassable. Some cabins and parks may be flooded to a depth of a couple of feet. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 15.00 ftmoderate flooding occurs from Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Access roads east of the Combs Bridge near Eagles Bluff are impassable. Some cabins and parks may begin to flood. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 14.00 ftmoderate flooding occurs from Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Access roads east of the Combs Bridge near Eagles Bluff will be impassable. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 13.00 ftminor flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Access roads east of the Combs Bridge near Eagles Bluff may be threatened. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 12.00 ftminor flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Extreme turbulence makes the river too hazardous for floating.
- 11.00 ftminor flooding occurs from near Hanging Rock downstream towards Tahlequah. Floating the river is too hazardous due to strong turbulence.
- 9.00 ftno flooding occurs but all recreational floating along the Illinois River ceases at and above 9.5 feet.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 22% |
| Moderate flooding | 9% |
| Major flooding | 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 21, 2026.
Crest history
293 crests on NOAA’s list since 1916.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 28, 2015 | 30.69 ft |
| 2 | April 30, 2017 | 29.29 ft |
| 3 | May 10, 1950 | 27.94 ft |
| 4 | May 6, 2022 | 27.53 ft |
| 5 | January 1, 1916 | 26.00 ft |
| 6 | April 26, 2011 | 25.97 ft |
| 7 | May 11, 1943 | 25.37 ft |
| 8 | April 15, 1945 | 23.60 ft |
| 9 | June 9, 1974 | 23.02 ft |
| 10 | October 1, 1986 | 22.54 ft |
| 11 | April 1, 1927 | 22.30 ft |
| 12 | March 20, 2008 | 22.29 ft |
| 13 | April 29, 2021 | 21.83 ft |
| 14 | November 26, 1973 | 21.73 ft |
| 15 | April 4, 1957 | 21.60 ft |
| 16 | May 4, 1990 | 21.47 ft |
| 17 | May 8, 1961 | 21.38 ft |
| 18 | May 25, 2011 | 21.12 ft |
| 19 | March 20, 1945 | 21.12 ft |
| 20 | October 7, 2019 | 21.10 ft |
| 21 | July 26, 1960 | 20.72 ft |
| 22 | March 20, 2020 | 20.47 ft |
| 23 | December 22, 1984 | 20.35 ft |
| 24 | February 18, 1938 | 19.67 ft |
| 25 | February 25, 2018 | 19.58 ft |
Most recent crests
- June 23, 2026: 9.62 ft
- June 15, 2026: 11.79 ft
- June 12, 2026: 10.08 ft
- June 9, 2026: 12.44 ft
- September 25, 2025: 11.60 ft
- July 19, 2025: 11.22 ft
- June 8, 2025: 15.16 ft
- May 27, 2025: 13.31 ft
- May 26, 2025: 13.31 ft
- May 21, 2025: 12.33 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Arkansas-Red Basin RFC. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 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.