Rivers in Illinois

Sangamon River near Oakford

Mason County, IllinoisNWS OKFI2USGS 05583000Lincoln office

Below flood stage
456.75ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 1:45 PM CDT

Flood stage
471.00 ft
Record crest
478.51 ft1943

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood478.50 ft
Moderate flood472.90 ft
Minor flood471.00 ft
Action469.00 ft
  1. 476.90 ftWater reaches the top of Mason, Menard Special, and Oakford levees.
  2. 476.30 ftWater overtops the South Sangamon East Levee.
  3. 471.00 ftFlooding begins to agricultural areas not protected by levees.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding11%
Moderate flooding7%
Major floodingUnder 5%

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

Crest history

122 crests on NOAA’s list since 1910.

#DateStage
1May 20, 1943478.51 ft
2January 1, 2016477.67 ft
3May 15, 2002476.73 ft
4December 5, 1982476.53 ft
5April 15, 1994476.09 ft
6April 15, 1979475.44 ft
7January 15, 2005475.02 ft
8June 25, 1974474.64 ft
9October 4, 1926474.48 ft
10April 25, 1973474.46 ft
11May 4, 2019474.44 ft
12June 11, 2008474.17 ft
13November 2, 2009473.98 ft
14April 26, 1944473.80 ft
15March 16, 1939473.78 ft
16May 20, 1995473.56 ft
17May 3, 1970473.55 ft
18January 25, 2024473.49 ft
19May 20, 2020473.49 ft
20July 1, 1951473.48 ft
21October 4, 1911473.48 ft
22August 6, 1981473.26 ft
23February 7, 1968473.12 ft
24July 13, 2015473.07 ft
25February 14, 1959473.04 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 30, 2024: 468.26 ft
  • January 25, 2024: 473.49 ft
  • February 23, 2022: 468.70 ft
  • July 18, 2021: 469.58 ft
  • June 30, 2021: 472.67 ft
  • May 20, 2020: 473.49 ft
  • May 2, 2020: 472.43 ft
  • January 16, 2020: 470.48 ft
  • June 25, 2019: 471.05 ft
  • May 4, 2019: 474.44 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.