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Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills water level

River gauge, Kaskaskia River, Illinois, United States

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

1.52ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
19.5 cfs
0 10 20 Highest onrecord 20.41 ft

History

History
246ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18246ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18
246ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18246ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18
510ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026510ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
510ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026510ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 1.52 ft, the Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills is below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 1.93 ft, based on 37 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.41 ft below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 1.28 ft, a difference of +0.24 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 1.49 ft and 2.22 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
1.93 ft0.41 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
1.27 ft – 5.78 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (37 years of records)
Same day last year
1.28 ft+0.24 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
1.49 ft – 2.22 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
1.18 ft – 13.31 ft
Highest on record
20.41 ftJune 7, 2008

What the stage means on the water

Low water means more dragging on shallow riffles and slower floats. Fish crowd into the deeper runs, and warm, low water stresses them, so play and release them quickly.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
120.41 ftJune 7, 2008
219.28 ftDecember 29, 2015
317.85 ftMay 13, 2002
417.30 ftApril 13, 1994
517.13 ftApril 19, 2013
616.74 ftMay 11, 1996
716.72 ftFebruary 23, 1985
816.61 ftFebruary 8, 2008
916.53 ftMarch 5, 1979
1016.38 ftMay 4, 2017

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.37 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 34° – Wind 13 mph
19 Mon 69° 40° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 72° 50° – Wind 6 mph
21 Wed 73° 50° – Wind 5 mph
22 Thu 74° 52° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 75° 53° – Wind 8 mph
24 Sat 77° 54° – Wind 13 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:07 AM Sunset 06:12 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 51%

Map

Other gauges on the Kaskaskia River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Kaskaskia River below FicklinRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.33 ft Normal −0.32 ft 15 mi
Kaskaskia River at ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 6.42 ft Normal +0.01 ft 23 mi
Kaskaskia River near CowdenRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.27 ft Normal −0.03 ft 33 mi
Kaskaskia River at VandaliaRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 2.96 ft Normal −0.03 ft 56 mi
Kaskaskia River at CarlyleRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 5.68 ft Low −0.03 ft 84 mi
Kaskaskia River near Venedy StationRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 1.36 ft Low −0.17 ft 102 mi
Kaskaskia River at New AthensRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 68.64 ft Normal +0.03 ft 118 mi
Kaskaskia River near Red BudRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River 68.60 ft Normal −0.01 ft 125 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Whitley Creek near AllenvilleRiver gauge, Whitley Creek 2.19 ft Normal ±0 8 mi
Kaskaskia River Inflow at FicklinRiver gauge, Kaskaskia River Inflow 7.09 ft Very low ±0 15 mi
Lake Fork at AtwoodRiver gauge, Lake Fork 2.99 ft Normal +0.02 ft 16 mi
West Okaw River near LovingtonRiver gauge, West Okaw River 2.26 ft Normal −0.02 ft 17 mi
Embarras River near CamargoRiver gauge, Embarras River 3.30 ft Normal −0.17 ft 19 mi
Robinson Creek near ShelbyvilleRiver gauge, Robinson Creek 2.76 ft High −0.03 ft 29 mi
Sangamon River at MonticelloRiver gauge, Sangamon River 5.04 ft Normal −0.05 ft 32 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.24 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 1.28 ft.

What is a normal level for the Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 1.93 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 1.27 ft and 5.78 ft, based on 37 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 Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 12:30 PM CDT, the water level was 1.52 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 37 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills?

The highest level on record is 20.41 ft on June 7, 2008.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:05591200 (Agency page)
Coordinates
39.58347, -88.41381 (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 1.52 ft 2026-10-18 17:30 Provisional
Flow 19.5 cfs 2026-10-18 17:30 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kaskaskia River at Cooks Mills (usgs:05591200). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/kaskaskia-river-at-cooks-mills

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.