Rivers in Illinois

Buffalo Creek (IL) at Wheeling

Cook County, IllinoisNWS WHEI2USGS 05528500Romeoville office

Below flood stage
3.56ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 2:15 PM CDT

Flood stage
5.00 ft
Record crest
8.46 ft2013

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood7.50 ft
Moderate flood6.50 ft
Minor flood5.00 ft
Action4.50 ft
  1. 12.50 ftArlington Heights Road may be threatened in Buffalo Grove.
  2. 11.00 ftBuffalo Grove Road threatened at Lake Cook Road.
  3. 10.50 ftBuffalo Grove Village Hall threatened. A few residential structures threatened along Raupp Boulevard in Buffalo Grove.
  4. 10.00 ftHolmes Middle School threatened in Wheeling.
  5. 9.50 ftRaupp Boulevard threatened in Buffalo Grove.
  6. 9.00 ftWidespread inundation of roadways and structures begins between Elmhurst Road and Eugene Field School in Wheeling. Water begins to bypass the main channel to the southeast along McHenry Road and Wheeling Road causing widespread inundation of roadways and structures near Wheeling Town Center. Elmhurst Road (IL-83) threatened in Wheeling. Parking lots threatened at Buffalo Grove Village Hall. Large portions of Buffalo Grove Golf Club inundated.
  7. 8.50 ftMultiple commercial structures threatened near Elmhurst Road and Dundee Road in Wheeling. Widespread inundation of roadways and structures begins near Wolf Road and Jeffery Avenue in Wheeling. Multiple structures threatened along Northgate Parkway in Wheeling. McHenry Road threatened in Wheeling.
  8. 8.00 ftResidential structures threatened along Valley Stream Drive, Manda Lane, and side streets in Wheeling. Lake Cook Road threatened in Buffalo Grove. Weiland Road threatened at McHenry Road (IL-83) in Wheeling.
  9. 7.50 ftA few structures threatened along Dundee Road in Wheeling. Valley Stream Drive, Manda Lane, and side streets threatened in Wheeling.
  10. 7.00 ftA few structures threatened near Buffalo Grove Road and Lake Cook Road. A few structures threatened along St Marys Parkway near Lincoln Terrace in Buffalo Grove. Wolf Road and Jeffery Avenue threatened in Wheeling. Athletic fields threatened near Emmerich Park in Buffalo Grove. Agricultural land inundated in northwest Wheeling.
  11. 6.50 ftResidential parking lots threatened along McHenry Road. Low-lying portions of Buffalo Grove Golf Club inundated. Athletic fields threatened at Heritage Park in Wheeling.
  12. 6.00 ftLow-lying portions of Heritage Park inundated in Wheeling.
  13. 5.00 ftParking lots threatened along Buffalo Grove Road.
  14. 4.50 ftTrails threatened near Arlington Heights Road in Buffalo Grove. Low-lying portions of Emmerich Park inundated in Buffalo Grove.
  15. 4.00 ftWater overtops low-lying banks in Buffalo Grove and Wheeling.

Flood outlook

Significant river flooding is likely here through September 25.

Weather conditions indicate that significant flooding can be expected during the outlook period.

The five-day outlook is from the Weather Prediction Center with the River Forecast Centers.

Crest history

75 crests on NOAA’s list since 1954.

#DateStage
1June 26, 20138.46 ft
2July 22, 19827.94 ft
3July 12, 20177.83 ft
4August 23, 20077.83 ft
5July 23, 20117.56 ft
6October 13, 20017.51 ft
7May 17, 20207.42 ft
8August 14, 19877.34 ft
9August 25, 19727.27 ft
10September 19, 20017.25 ft
11June 2, 19707.20 ft
12October 14, 20177.19 ft
13September 14, 20087.18 ft
14May 17, 19967.16 ft
15August 14, 19817.07 ft
16September 13, 20197.00 ft
17June 13, 19996.99 ft
18September 9, 19806.98 ft
19June 10, 19676.96 ft
20June 30, 20146.96 ft
21December 2, 19826.94 ft
22August 18, 19906.94 ft
23May 13, 20106.92 ft
24November 19, 19856.87 ft
25September 3, 20186.86 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 17, 2020: 7.42 ft
  • April 29, 2020: 5.16 ft
  • March 28, 2020: 4.78 ft
  • September 13, 2019: 7.00 ft
  • July 21, 2019: 6.20 ft
  • July 2, 2019: 4.73 ft
  • June 5, 2019: 6.47 ft
  • May 2, 2019: 5.64 ft
  • September 3, 2018: 6.86 ft
  • May 21, 2018: 5.52 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are not available. Only observed stages are available for this point.

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.