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South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester water level

River gauge, South Fork Sangamon River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Right now

Normal for mid-October

Water level

4.33ft Steady over the last 24 hours

0 10 20 30 Highest onrecord 35.17 ft

History

History
510ftOct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18510ftOct 12Oct 15Oct 18
510ftSep 19Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18510ftSep 19Oct 3Oct 18
1020ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 20261020ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
1020ftJanMarMayJulSepNov20261020ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester is at 4.33 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 4.29 ft, based on 32 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.04 ft above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 3.86 ft, a difference of +0.47 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 4.12 ft and 4.39 ft.

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

Compared with 32 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
4.29 ft0.04 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
3.64 ft – 10.78 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (32 years of records)
Same day last year
3.86 ft+0.47 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
4.12 ft – 4.39 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
3.85 ft – 21.90 ft
Highest on record
35.17 ftDecember 30, 2015

Floating and fishing near South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Highest crests on record

RankLevelDate
135.17 ftDecember 30, 2015
228.69 ftApril 22, 2013
328.53 ftJune 25, 2019
428.00 ftMay 5, 2017
527.50 ftJanuary 15, 2020
625.66 ftMay 21, 2021
725.34 ftMay 18, 2020
825.02 ftMay 3, 2020
924.85 ftJune 16, 2018
1024.57 ftMay 2, 2019

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.31 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 63° 35° – Wind 13 mph
19 Mon 69° 37° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 72° 53° – Wind 7 mph
21 Wed 73° 51° – Wind 6 mph
22 Thu 76° 54° – Wind 6 mph
23 Fri 77° 55° – Wind 9 mph
24 Sat 79° 57° – Wind 14 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:16 PM Daylight 11 hr, 4 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the South Fork Sangamon River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
South Fork Sangamon River near RochesterRiver gauge, South Fork Sangamon River 5.03 ft Normal ±0 0.8 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Sugar Creek near SpringfieldRiver gauge, Sugar Creek 9.76 ft Low +0.01 ft 2.3 mi
Sangamon River at RivertonRiver gauge, Sangamon River 2.49 ft Low ±0 6 mi
Spring Creek at SpringfieldRiver gauge, Spring Creek 1.55 ft Low −0.02 ft 8 mi
Sangamon River near SpringfieldRiver gauge, Sangamon River 21.22 ft Normal +0.05 ft 9 mi
Lick Creek near ChathamRiver gauge, Lick Creek 11.80 ft Normal −0.01 ft 11 mi
Lake Fork near CornlandRiver gauge, Lake Fork 8.4 cfs Low ±0 17 mi
Sangamon River at PetersburgRiver gauge, Sangamon River 4.44 ft Normal −0.03 ft 23 mi
Salt Creek near GreenviewRiver gauge, Salt Creek 1.36 ft Normal −0.06 ft 28 mi

Questions and answers

Is the South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.47 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.86 ft.

What is a normal level for the South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.29 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.64 ft and 10.78 ft, based on 32 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 South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 01:30 PM CDT, the water level was 4.33 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester rising or falling?

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

Is the level of South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 32 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester?

The highest level on record is 35.17 ft on December 30, 2015.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:05576022 (Agency page)
Coordinates
39.75383, -89.56575 (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 4.33 ft 2026-10-18 18:30 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: South Fork Sangamon River below Rochester (usgs:05576022). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/south-fork-sangamon-river-below-rochester

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.