Ferson Creek near St. Charles water level

Name: Ferson Creek near St. Charles water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Ferson Creek, Illinois, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.90ft Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 11:15 PM CDT (1 hour ago)

Flow: 35.1 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Ferson Creek near St. Charles, where the gauge shows 1.90 ft.

It is 4.10 ft below the flood stage of 6.00 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.07 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1.54 ft – 3.07 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.54 ft – 3.07 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.37 ft – 3.56 ft
Highest on record: 9.66 ftFebruary 8, 1965

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 6.00 ft.

What happens at each level

13.00 ft: A few residences threatened along Babson Lane and Wildrose Spring Drive north of St Charles. Randall Road threatened north of St Charles.
12.00 ft: Residential structures threatened along Wild Rose Road and Indian Mound Road north of St Charles. Crane Road threatened north of St Charles.
11.00 ft: A few residential structures threatened along Crane Road north of St Charles.
10.50 ft: IL-31 threatened north of St Charles.
10.00 ft: Low-lying residential property threatened along the creek northwest of St Charles.
9.50 ft: Indian Mound Road threatened north of St Charles.
9.00 ft: Wildrose Spring Drive threatened north of St Charles.
6.00 ft: Widespread inundation of forest and agricultural land in the floodplain north of St Charles.
5.50 ft: Kane County bike trail threatened between Wild Rose Road and Crane Road.
4.50 ft: Water overtops low lying banks along the creek north of St Charles.
1.90 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	9.66 ft	February 8, 1965
2	8.96 ft	September 13, 2008
3	8.77 ft	February 21, 1997
4	8.28 ft	December 28, 2008
5	8.03 ft	August 24, 2007
6	7.79 ft	July 18, 1996
7	7.72 ft	May 15, 2020
8	7.64 ft	February 20, 1971
9	7.63 ft	July 24, 2010
10	7.48 ft	April 18, 2013

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.26 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 56° 37° – Wind 12 mph

18 Sun 59° 39° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 64° 38° – Wind 6 mph

20 Tue 65° 47° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 66° 48° – Wind 7 mph

22 Thu 69° 52° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 69° 52° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:11 AM Sunset 06:07 PM Daylight 10 hr, 56 min First quarter 56%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Fox River at South Elgin, Il (Tailwater)River gauge, Fox River	6.84 ft	Normal	−0.04 ft	5.0 mi
Fox River at South ElginRiver gauge, Fox River	12.78 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	5.0 mi
Mill Creek near BataviaRiver gauge, Mill Creek	2.48 ft	Normal	−0.15 ft	6.1 mi
Poplar Creek at ElginRiver gauge, Poplar Creek	1.33 ft	Normal	−0.08 ft	8 mi
West Branch Du Page River near West ChicagoRiver gauge, West Branch Du Page River	3.99 ft	Normal	−0.11 ft	8 mi
Kress Creek at West ChicagoRiver gauge, Kress Creek	4.23 ft	High	−0.07 ft	9 mi
Tyler Creek at ElginRiver gauge, Tyler Creek	5.77 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	9 mi
West Branch Du Page River near WarrenvilleRiver gauge, West Branch Du Page River	7.95 ft	High	−0.16 ft	12 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for Ferson Creek near St. Charles?

The official flood stage is 6.00 ft. The level is currently 4.10 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Ferson Creek near St. Charles today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 11:15 PM CDT, the water level was 1.90 ft. Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Ferson Creek near St. Charles rising or falling?

Down 0.07 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.18 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Ferson Creek near St. Charles normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Ferson Creek near St. Charles?

The highest level on record is 9.66 ft on February 8, 1965.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05551200 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.93320, -88.34111 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.90 ft	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional
Flow	35.1 cfs	2026-10-19 04:15	Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/9148?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Ferson Creek near St. Charles water level"></iframe>

How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Ferson Creek near St. Charles (usgs:05551200). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/ferson-creek-near-st-charles

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer