Lake Fork near Cornland water level

Name: Lake Fork near Cornland 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, Lake Fork, Illinois, United States

Directions

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.36ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT (20 min ago)

Flow: 8.7 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year

Water level

What this means

Lake Fork near Cornland is running below normal at 3.36 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 3.33 ft and 3.49 ft.

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

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Lowest and highest in 30 days: 3.33 ft – 3.49 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 3.31 ft – 15.67 ft
Highest on record: 23.40 ftMay 27, 1943

Floating and fishing near Lake Fork near Cornland

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	23.40 ft	May 27, 1943
2	23.11 ft	April 12, 1979
3	22.53 ft	June 23, 1974
4	22.43 ft	December 4, 1982
5	21.67 ft	May 6, 1991
6	21.60 ft	June 29, 1951
7	21.31 ft	April 13, 1994
8	21.00 ft	February 10, 1959
9	20.86 ft	December 30, 2015
10	20.76 ft	January 14, 2005

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.18 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 64° 36° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 69° 38° – Wind 7 mph

20 Tue 72° 44° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 74° 52° – Wind 6 mph

22 Thu 76° 55° 0.00 in Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 77° 56° – Wind 10 mph

24 Sat 79° 57° – Wind 15 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:15 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 53%

Map

Other gauges on Lake Fork

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lake Fork at AtwoodRiver gauge, Lake Fork	3.00 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	49 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sangamon River at RivertonRiver gauge, Sangamon River	2.47 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	11 mi
Sangamon River near SpringfieldRiver gauge, Sangamon River	21.19 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	13 mi
Sugar Creek near SpringfieldRiver gauge, Sugar Creek	9.77 ft	Low	+0.02 ft	16 mi
South Fork Sangamon River below RochesterRiver gauge, South Fork Sangamon River	4.33 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	17 mi
South Fork Sangamon River near RochesterRiver gauge, South Fork Sangamon River	5.02 ft	Normal	−0.01 ft	17 mi
Spring Creek at SpringfieldRiver gauge, Spring Creek	1.54 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	19 mi
Salt Creek near RowellRiver gauge, Salt Creek	9.09 ft	Normal	−0.02 ft	21 mi
Salt Creek near GreenviewRiver gauge, Salt Creek	1.35 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	22 mi

Questions and answers

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 Lake Fork near Cornland today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 04:30 PM CDT, the water level was 3.36 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Fork near Cornland rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lake Fork near Cornland normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Lake Fork near Cornland?

The highest level on record is 23.40 ft on May 27, 1943.

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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05579500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.95177, -89.38567 (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	3.36 ft	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional
Flow	8.7 cfs	2026-10-18 21:30	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Fork near Cornland (usgs:05579500). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/lake-fork-near-cornland

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