Rivers in Illinois
Des Plaines River near Gurnee
Action stage
6.91ftStage
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 3:30 PM CDT
- Flood stage
- 7.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 7.80 ftThu, Sep 24, 1:00 AM CDT
- Record crest
- 12.09 ft2017
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 11.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 9.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 7.00 ft |
| Action | 6.50 ft |
- 13.50 ftStructures are threatened at Libertyville Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- 12.50 ftStructures are threatened at Mundelein Water Reclamation Facility near Libertyville.
- 12.00 ftLibertyville Wastewater Treatment Plant property is threatened.
- 11.00 ftUS-41 (Skokie Highway) threatened near the river in Gurnee. Mundelein Water Reclamation Facility property is threatened near Libertyville.
- 10.00 ftResidences threatened along Kilbourne Road and near O'Plaine Road and McClure Avenue in Gurnee. Businesses threatened along Old Grand Avenue near IL-132 in Gurnee. IL-132 (Grand Avenue) is threatened east of the river in Gurnee.
- 9.00 ftKilbourne Road and Emerald Avenue threatened near Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
- 7.00 ftForest land inundated near the river in Gurnee.
- 6.50 ftLow-lying sections of the Des Plaines River trail inundated.
- 6.00 ftWater overtops low-lying banks in Gurnee.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 15% |
| Moderate flooding | Under 5% |
| Major flooding | Under 5% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.
Crest history
75 crests on NOAA’s list since 1946.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 16, 2017 | 12.09 ft |
| 2 | September 27, 1986 | 11.95 ft |
| 3 | May 25, 2004 | 11.76 ft |
| 4 | April 20, 2013 | 11.20 ft |
| 5 | April 3, 1960 | 10.64 ft |
| 6 | September 15, 2019 | 10.52 ft |
| 7 | June 16, 2000 | 10.30 ft |
| 8 | March 22, 1979 | 10.29 ft |
| 9 | April 22, 1993 | 9.89 ft |
| 10 | March 7, 1976 | 9.84 ft |
| 11 | May 20, 2020 | 9.84 ft |
| 12 | August 25, 2007 | 9.80 ft |
| 13 | May 2, 2020 | 9.73 ft |
| 14 | June 28, 2018 | 9.72 ft |
| 15 | April 6, 1983 | 9.65 ft |
| 16 | June 22, 2009 | 9.41 ft |
| 17 | March 21, 1948 | 9.21 ft |
| 18 | March 6, 1974 | 9.07 ft |
| 19 | March 16, 2019 | 9.05 ft |
| 20 | March 23, 1962 | 9.02 ft |
| 21 | April 2, 2008 | 8.99 ft |
| 22 | May 24, 1996 | 8.92 ft |
| 23 | March 4, 1985 | 8.92 ft |
| 24 | August 24, 1978 | 8.74 ft |
| 25 | May 16, 2018 | 8.70 ft |
Most recent crests
- March 13, 2021: 6.63 ft
- May 20, 2020: 9.84 ft
- May 2, 2020: 9.73 ft
- April 1, 2020: 8.01 ft
- November 1, 2019: 6.88 ft
- October 6, 2019: 8.06 ft
- September 15, 2019: 10.52 ft
- May 10, 2019: 7.83 ft
- March 16, 2019: 9.05 ft
- February 9, 2019: 8.23 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the North Central 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 and future precipitation. The stages/flows that will occur may be different if future rainfall is different than forecast.
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.