Rivers in Illinois

Rock River at Byron

Ogle County, IllinoisNWS BYRI2USGS 05440700Romeoville office

Below flood stage
8.52ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 5:15 PM CDT

Flood stage
13.00 ft
Forecast crest
11.70 ftMon, Sep 21, 7:00 PM CDT
Record crest
17.80 ft1973

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood16.00 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood13.00 ft
Action10.50 ft
  1. 17.00 ftWater threatens structures at the water treatment plant in Byron.
  2. 16.50 ftNumerous residences are threatened between IL-2 and the river just northeast of Byron. River Road is threatened near the river just south of Byron.
  3. 16.00 ftThe MercyHealth Clinic is threatened along Kysor Drive in Byron.
  4. 15.50 ftWater threatens lower sections of the water treatment plant property in Byron. Water threatens IL-2 west of Byron.
  5. 13.50 ftNumerous low-lying structures downstream of Byron are flooded.
  6. 13.00 ftLow-lying structures downstream of Byron are threatened.
  7. 12.00 ftWater inundates yards of several houses along River Road near Byron. Low-lying portions of Hamas Park and Sunshine Park are inundated.
  8. 10.50 ftWater begins to affect low-lying areas along the river near Byron.

Flood outlook

Significant river flooding is possible here through September 25.

Weather conditions indicate that significant flooding could occur; it is neither certain nor imminent.

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding6%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The five-day outlook is from the Weather Prediction Center with the River Forecast Centers. The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

41 crests on NOAA’s list since 1959.

#DateStage
1April 20, 197317.80 ft
2April 20, 201317.08 ft
3March 16, 201916.64 ft
4July 25, 201016.50 ft
5June 14, 200016.12 ft
6October 8, 201815.67 ft
7August 25, 200715.52 ft
8July 22, 201715.38 ft
9February 22, 201815.15 ft
10March 25, 197515.00 ft
11June 15, 200814.81 ft
12March 21, 197914.70 ft
13April 5, 195914.70 ft
14June 5, 200214.67 ft
15October 4, 201914.42 ft
16September 5, 201814.28 ft
17July 16, 202413.84 ft
18March 11, 200913.66 ft
19September 15, 201913.53 ft
20June 13, 200413.19 ft
21May 18, 202013.11 ft
22March 29, 202013.06 ft
23May 31, 201913.00 ft
24June 21, 201812.86 ft
25June 27, 201812.82 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 16, 2024: 13.84 ft
  • June 24, 2024: 11.23 ft
  • April 4, 2024: 12.47 ft
  • January 28, 2024: 10.61 ft
  • April 5, 2023: 11.67 ft
  • December 28, 2022: 10.32 ft
  • May 18, 2020: 13.11 ft
  • March 29, 2020: 13.06 ft
  • October 4, 2019: 14.42 ft
  • September 15, 2019: 13.53 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.