Rivers in Oregon

Illinois River near Kerby

Josephine County, OregonNWS KRBO3USGS 14377100Medford office

Below flood stage
0.64ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 12:45 AM PDT

Flood stage
35.00 ft
Forecast crest
0.67 ftTue, Sep 22, 5:00 AM PDT
Record crest
45.28 ft1964

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood40.00 ft
Moderate flood37.00 ft
Minor flood35.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 42.00 ftAt this stage, numerous homes and businesses flood near the town of Kerby. Expect widespread flooding of lowland areas from Cave Junction downstream past Kerby.
  2. 35.00 ftThe Illinois River is at flood stage.
  3. 30.00 ftThe Illinois River is at bankfull level.
  4. 10.00 ftAt 10 feet or greater, most or all camping areas along the lower Illinois River are under water and conditions on this river become extremely dangerous for rafting.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

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

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 21, 2026.

Crest history

14 crests on NOAA’s list since 1962.

#DateStage
1December 22, 196445.28 ft
2October 10, 197033.70 ft
3January 6, 196631.48 ft
4December 2, 196230.51 ft
5January 1, 197230.42 ft
6December 29, 200529.98 ft
7December 8, 199626.50 ft
8January 19, 201225.90 ft
9December 15, 201625.45 ft
10February 6, 201525.43 ft
11December 29, 202424.77 ft
12January 20, 201924.57 ft
13January 13, 202423.19 ft
14November 20, 201217.49 ft

Most recent crests

  • December 29, 2024: 24.77 ft
  • January 13, 2024: 23.19 ft
  • January 20, 2019: 24.57 ft
  • December 15, 2016: 25.45 ft
  • February 6, 2015: 25.43 ft
  • November 20, 2012: 17.49 ft
  • January 19, 2012: 25.90 ft
  • December 29, 2005: 29.98 ft
  • December 8, 1996: 26.50 ft
  • January 1, 1972: 30.42 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Northwest River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.

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.