Rivers in Illinois
Rock River at Dixon
Below flood stage
11.25ftStage
Observed Tue, Sep 22, 9:15 AM CDT
- Flood stage
- 16.00 ft
- Record crest
- 20.50 ft1973
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 20.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 18.00 ft |
| Minor flood | 16.00 ft |
| Action | 13.00 ft |
- 23.00 ftNumerous residences threatened along Willet Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. Hennepin Avenue threatened at Boyd Street. Dixon High School threatened.
- 22.00 ftRiver Road (IL-2) inundated east of Dixon. Water reaches the bottom of the Peoria Avenue bridge in Dixon.
- 21.00 ftStructures threatened near 1st Street in Dixon. Residences threatened along Willet Avenue west of Dixon.
- 20.00 ftAthletic fields inundated at Dixon High School. Parking lot threatened at KSB Hospital in Dixon.
- 19.00 ftRiver Street threatened in Dixon.
- 17.50 ftFlooding affects basement of Dixon High School.
- 16.50 ftNumerous sections of Page Drive inundated along the river. Lower road inundated near boat docks in Lowell Park. Flooding of unimproved land on Riverside Drive in White Oaks. Dutch Landing Road is threatened north of Dixon.
- 16.00 ftN Canal Drive threatened in Woodland Shores. Water overflows low-lying banks along west First Street in Dixon. Residential property threatened near Sherman Avenue and River Street in Dixon.
- 15.50 ftPage Park picnic area is inundated. Backwater causes Sevenmile Branch to overflow low-lying banks near Forest Park Drive north of Dixon.
- 15.00 ftPage Drive threatened in Page Park.
- 13.50 ftWater overflows low-lying banks along Rock Nation Road northeast of Grand Detour.
- 13.00 ftWater overtops low-lying banks along N Canal Drive and S Canal Drive west of Dixon. Islands in the river at Grand Detour inundated. Lower bike path along river in Dixon is threatened.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | Under 5% |
| 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
38 crests on NOAA’s list since 1959.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 20, 1973 | 20.50 ft |
| 2 | July 2, 1996 | 19.00 ft |
| 3 | March 25, 1975 | 18.50 ft |
| 4 | February 24, 2019 | 18.40 ft |
| 5 | April 5, 1959 | 18.40 ft |
| 6 | March 21, 1979 | 18.40 ft |
| 7 | February 8, 2019 | 18.29 ft |
| 8 | April 20, 2013 | 18.16 ft |
| 9 | March 6, 2019 | 18.02 ft |
| 10 | July 25, 2010 | 17.83 ft |
| 11 | July 22, 2017 | 17.72 ft |
| 12 | March 16, 2019 | 17.67 ft |
| 13 | March 5, 2019 | 16.79 ft |
| 14 | February 21, 2018 | 16.61 ft |
| 15 | January 23, 2019 | 16.47 ft |
| 16 | October 8, 2018 | 16.47 ft |
| 17 | January 20, 2020 | 16.32 ft |
| 18 | January 21, 2017 | 15.80 ft |
| 19 | September 5, 2018 | 15.70 ft |
| 20 | October 5, 2019 | 15.68 ft |
| 21 | July 17, 2024 | 15.52 ft |
| 22 | June 28, 2013 | 15.41 ft |
| 23 | May 31, 2019 | 15.29 ft |
| 24 | September 15, 2019 | 15.16 ft |
| 25 | March 30, 2020 | 15.06 ft |
Most recent crests
- July 17, 2024: 15.52 ft
- April 5, 2024: 14.31 ft
- April 6, 2023: 13.65 ft
- December 22, 2022: 13.47 ft
- May 19, 2020: 14.79 ft
- March 30, 2020: 15.06 ft
- January 20, 2020: 16.32 ft
- October 5, 2019: 15.68 ft
- September 15, 2019: 15.16 ft
- May 31, 2019: 15.29 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.