Rivers in Illinois

Iroquois River near Chebanse

Kankakee County, IllinoisNWS CHBI2USGS 05526000Romeoville office

Below flood stage
3.17ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 4:45 AM CDT

Flood stage
16.00 ft
Record crest
21.68 ft1979

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood20.00 ft
Moderate flood18.00 ft
Minor flood16.00 ft
Action15.00 ft
  1. 23.00 ftWater nears the top of the levees at Watseka wastewater facility.
  2. 22.00 ftStructures threatened at Sugar Island east of Chebanse.
  3. 21.50 ftWidespread inundation of hundreds of residential and commercial structures in Watseka. 7750S Road and Bridge Road threatened at Sugar Island east of Chebanse.
  4. 20.00 ftWidespread inundation of roadways and structures reaches multiple blocks from the river in Watseka. Residential structures threatened near the confluence of the Iroquois and Kankakee Rivers.
  5. 18.00 ftMultiple structures threatened in Watseka.
  6. 17.50 ft4000S Road, 174S Road, 2000E Road, and River Road threatened south of Aroma Park.
  7. 16.00 ftAgricultural land along the river is inundated.
  8. 13.50 ft174S Road threatened near 5000S Road northeast of Chebanse.
  9. 12.50 ftWater overflows low-lying banks near Watseka and Chebanse.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding7%
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

54 crests on NOAA’s list since 1926.

#DateStage
1March 7, 197921.68 ft
2February 23, 201820.60 ft
3January 11, 200820.14 ft
4May 20, 194319.68 ft
5February 13, 195919.02 ft
6February 24, 198218.96 ft
7July 14, 201518.79 ft
8December 31, 201518.70 ft
9January 15, 200518.63 ft
10May 15, 197018.60 ft
11October 6, 192618.30 ft
12January 1, 199118.22 ft
13June 15, 195818.06 ft
14February 25, 198517.76 ft
15March 13, 199017.74 ft
16February 4, 196817.70 ft
17February 9, 194217.60 ft
18July 15, 195717.53 ft
19March 13, 200917.21 ft
20June 23, 201517.13 ft
21July 11, 195117.10 ft
22April 15, 199416.92 ft
23June 5, 198016.84 ft
24February 23, 201416.33 ft
25March 26, 200716.12 ft

Most recent crests

  • May 19, 2020: 14.93 ft
  • May 3, 2019: 15.70 ft
  • February 23, 2018: 20.60 ft
  • December 31, 2015: 18.70 ft
  • July 14, 2015: 18.79 ft
  • June 23, 2015: 17.13 ft
  • February 23, 2014: 16.33 ft
  • April 21, 2013: 15.41 ft
  • May 8, 2012: 14.05 ft
  • April 29, 2011: 15.10 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.