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Hickory Creek at Joliet water level

River gauge, Hickory Creek, Illinois, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

10.92ft Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours

Flow
66.5 cfs
0 10 20 Highest onrecord 19.50 ft Minor floodstage 16.50 ft

History

-051015ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18Minor flood stage-051015ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Minor flood stage
-051015ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18Minor flood stage-051015ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18Minor flood stage
-051015ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage-051015ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
-051015ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026-051015ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Hickory Creek at Joliet, where the gauge shows 10.92 ft.

The median for mid-October is 10.77 ft, based on 33 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.15 ft above typical. It is 5.58 ft below the flood stage of 16.50 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 10.78 ft, a difference of +0.14 ft.

It is still going down, by 0.11 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 10.87 ft – 14.18 ft.

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

Compared with 33 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
10.77 ft0.15 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
0.65 ft – 11.35 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (33 years of records)
Same day last year
10.78 ft+0.14 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
10.87 ft – 14.18 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
10.73 ft – 15.40 ft
Highest on record
19.50 ftApril 18, 2013

Paddling and fishing conditions

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

For reference, flood stage is 16.50 ft.

What happens at each level

33.00 ft
Richards Street Bridge is overtopped in Joliet.
32.00 ft
4th Avenue Bridge is overtopped in Joliet.
30.00 ft
Widespread inundation of the floodplain reaches multiple blocks away from the creek in Joliet.
24.00 ft
Water reaches the top of the channelized bank near the gauge site in Joliet.
21.00 ft
Residential property is threatened near the creek in Joliet.
19.00 ft
Highland Park Drive is threatened near Pilcher Park in Joliet.
17.00 ft
Low-lying portions of Highland Park and Pilcher Park and inundated in Joliet. Some roadways may be impacted in the New Lenox area.
10.92 ft
Right now

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

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
119.50 ftApril 18, 2013
218.39 ftSeptember 14, 2008
317.22 ftDecember 27, 2008
416.93 ftJune 9, 2011
516.86 ftAugust 24, 2007
616.82 ftJune 12, 2004
716.70 ftMarch 1, 2017
816.39 ftAugust 3, 2010
916.09 ftJuly 13, 2014
1015.92 ftJanuary 13, 2005

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.10 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 57° 38° – Wind 9 mph
18 Sun 62° 39° – Wind 12 mph
19 Mon 66° 38° – Wind 7 mph
20 Tue 68° 50° – Wind 6 mph
21 Wed 69° 50° – Wind 5 mph
22 Thu 71° 54° 0.00 in Wind 5 mph
23 Fri 72° 54° – Wind 8 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:08 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 11 hr First quarter 52%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Des Plaines River at Route 53 at JolietRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 538.97 ft Normal ±0 1.6 mi
Du Page River at ShorewoodRiver gauge, Du Page River 10.83 ft Very high −0.23 ft 6.2 mi
Long Run near LemontRiver gauge, Long Run 1.13 ft Normal −0.19 ft 10 mi
Des Plaines River near LemontRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 6.46 ft Normal −0.50 ft 11 mi
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at LemontRiver gauge, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal 25.26 ft Normal −0.22 ft 12 mi
Kankakee River near WilmingtonRiver gauge, Kankakee River 1.51 ft Normal −0.02 ft 13 mi
Du Page River near PlainfieldRiver gauge, Du Page River 7.19 ft Normal −0.21 ft 13 mi
Kankakee River at Inflow of Power Plant near LorenzoRiver gauge, Kankakee River 504.57 ft Very low −0.05 ft 13 mi

Questions and answers

Is Hickory Creek at Joliet higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.14 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 10.78 ft.

What is flood stage for Hickory Creek at Joliet?

The official flood stage is 16.50 ft. The level is currently 5.58 ft below it.

What is a normal level for Hickory Creek at Joliet in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 10.77 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.65 ft and 11.35 ft, based on 33 years of records.

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 Hickory Creek at Joliet today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 02:15 PM CDT, the water level was 10.92 ft. Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Hickory Creek at Joliet rising or falling?

Down 0.11 ft over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Hickory Creek at Joliet normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 33 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:05539000 (Agency page)
Coordinates
41.51472, -88.07333 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level 10.92 ft 2026-10-18 19:15 Provisional
Flow 66.5 cfs 2026-10-18 19:15 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Hickory Creek at Joliet (usgs:05539000). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/hickory-creek-at-joliet

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