Rivers in Illinois

Des Plaines River at Lincolnshire

Lake County, IllinoisNWS LDRI2USGS 05528100Romeoville office

Below flood stage
10.71ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 4:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
12.50 ft
Forecast crest
12.30 ftThu, Sep 24, 7:00 AM CDT
Record crest
16.55 ft2017

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood15.50 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood12.50 ft
Action11.50 ft
  1. 19.00 ftNumerous commercial structures threatened near IL-21 (Milwaukee Avenue) and IL-60 (Townline Road). Low-lying sections of Grainger Woods Preserve are inundated.
  2. 18.00 ftNumerous structures threatened east of IL-21 (Milwaukee Avenue) between IL-60 (Townline Road) and IL-22 (Half-Day Road). Numerous residences threatened east of the river near IL-22 (Half-Day Road). Widespread inundation of residences and businesses along US-45 (Milwaukee Avenue) between IL-22 (Half-Day Road) and Lake Cook Road beings.
  3. 17.00 ftIL-22 (Half-Day Road) threatened just west of the river. US-45 (Milwaukee Avenue) threatened between IL-22 (Half-Day Road) and Lake Cook Road.
  4. 16.00 ftNumerous structures threatened along US-45 (Milwaukee Avenue) between IL-22 (Half Day Road) and Deerfield Road. Access route threatened for numerous residences near US-45 (Milwaukee Avenue) and Deerfield Road. IL-60 (Townline Road) threatened near the river.
  5. 15.00 ftStructures threatened along IL-22 (Half-Day Road) just east of the river. Multiple structures threatened near and west of US-45 (Milwaukee Avenue) and Deerfield Road. Deerfield Road threatened near the river. Multiple trails inundated in Half-Day Forest Preserve.
  6. 14.00 ftResidences threatened east of the river just south of IL-22 (Half-Day Road). Lincolnshire Drive threatened at Wiltshire Lane.
  7. 13.00 ftLow-lying trails in Wright Woods Forest Preserve are inundated.
  8. 8.00 ftLow-lying section of Des Plaines River Trail threatened near IL-60 (Townline Road).

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding9%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

28 crests on NOAA’s list since 1948.

#DateStage
1July 13, 201716.55 ft
2April 19, 201316.36 ft
3April 3, 196015.90 ft
4May 18, 202015.75 ft
5September 14, 201915.07 ft
6April 25, 195014.50 ft
7May 1, 202014.42 ft
8March 28, 194814.40 ft
9June 28, 201814.33 ft
10June 23, 200913.55 ft
11May 22, 201813.50 ft
12March 16, 201913.29 ft
13September 4, 201813.26 ft
14April 6, 201713.16 ft
15May 14, 201013.15 ft
16May 13, 201413.08 ft
17May 2, 201713.02 ft
18February 8, 201912.65 ft
19February 21, 201812.59 ft
20May 3, 201912.58 ft
21March 29, 202012.54 ft
22December 4, 201812.43 ft
23April 28, 201112.15 ft
24May 11, 201912.10 ft
25October 5, 201912.07 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 18, 2020: 15.75 ft
  • May 1, 2020: 14.42 ft
  • March 29, 2020: 12.54 ft
  • October 5, 2019: 12.07 ft
  • September 14, 2019: 15.07 ft
  • May 11, 2019: 12.10 ft
  • May 3, 2019: 12.58 ft
  • March 16, 2019: 13.29 ft
  • February 8, 2019: 12.65 ft
  • December 4, 2018: 12.43 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 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.