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Des Plaines River at River Forest water level

River gauge, Des Plaines River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

5.44ft Down 1.37 ft over the last 24 hours

5 10 15 20 Highest onrecord 18.98 ft Minor floodstage 16.00 ft

History

51015ftOct 11Oct 12Oct 14Oct 15Oct 17Minor flood stage51015ftOct 11Oct 14Oct 17Minor flood stage
51015ftSep 18Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Minor flood stage51015ftSep 18Oct 2Oct 17Minor flood stage
51015ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage51015ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
51015ftJanMarMayJulSepNov202651015ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

What this means

The gauge at Des Plaines River at River Forest reads 5.44 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 1.32 ft above the median of 4.13 ft for mid-October, based on 14 years of readings. It is 10.56 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 3.35 ft (+2.09 ft).

The level is falling, down 1.37 ft over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 4.81 ft and 10.37 ft.

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

Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
4.13 ft1.32 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
3.26 ft – 11.15 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (14 years of records)
Same day last year
3.35 ft+2.09 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
4.81 ft – 10.37 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
3.26 ft – 14.05 ft
Highest on record
18.98 ftApril 19, 2013

What the stage means on the water

A normal level is usually prime time for floating and wade fishing, as long as the weather holds upstream.

The National Weather Service puts flood stage for this gauge at 16.00 ft, still 10.56 ft away.

What happens at each level

20.00 ft
Multiple residential structures threatened in River Forest. 1st Avenue threatened in Maywood. Backwater causes Silver Creek to threaten multiple residential structures in Melrose Park.
18.00 ft
Portions of Forest Home Cemetery and Concordia Cemetery are inundated in Forest Park.
17.50 ft
North Avenue (IL-64) threatened in River Grove and Melrose Park. Residential property threatened along River Oaks Drive.
16.00 ft
Chicago Avenue is threatened.
13.00 ft
Parking lots threatened at Trailside Museum.
10.00 ft
Forest preserve property threatend along the river.
5.44 ft
Right now

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

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: 5 %.

RankLevelDate
118.98 ftApril 19, 2013
218.30 ftSeptember 14, 2008
317.50 ftMay 18, 2020
415.55 ftJuly 22, 2017
514.42 ftMay 1, 2019
614.12 ftOctober 15, 2017
714.05 ftMay 22, 2018
814.03 ftSeptember 15, 2019
914.00 ftFebruary 21, 2018
1013.91 ftJune 23, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.27 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 54° 38° – Wind 12 mph
18 Sun 62° 39° – Wind 13 mph
19 Mon 68° 49° – Wind 6 mph
20 Tue 68° 53° – Wind 7 mph
21 Wed 70° 54° – Wind 5 mph
22 Thu 69° 56° – Wind 4 mph
23 Fri 73° 57° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:06 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 41%

Map

Other gauges on the Des Plaines River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Des Plaines River at RussellRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 4.72 ft High +0.18 ft 42 mi
Des Plaines River near GurneeRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 3.01 ft Normal −0.05 ft 32 mi
Des Plaines River at LincolnshireRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 7.64 ft Normal −0.10 ft 22 mi
Des Plaines River near Des PlainesRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 9.42 ft High −0.13 ft 14 mi
Des Plaines River at Algonquin Road at Des PlainesRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 9.16 ft Below flood stage −0.34 ft 10 mi
Des Plaines River at RiversideRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 3.09 ft Normal −0.75 ft 4.7 mi
Des Plaines River at LyonsRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 11.93 ft Normal −0.71 ft 5.8 mi
Des Plaines River near LemontRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 7.10 ft Normal +0.20 ft 18 mi
Des Plaines River at Route 53 at JolietRiver gauge, Des Plaines River 538.97 ft Normal ±0 28 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Addison Creek at BellwoodRiver gauge, Addison Creek 1.85 ft Very high −0.69 ft 1.9 mi
Salt Creek at Western SpringsRiver gauge, Salt Creek 2.42 ft Normal −0.71 ft 5.5 mi
Salt Creek at 22nd Street at Oak BrookRiver gauge, Salt Creek 48.66 ft Normal −0.69 ft 6.0 mi
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at StickneyRiver gauge, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal −2.13 ft High +0.37 ft 6 mi
Salt Creek at ElmhurstRiver gauge, Salt Creek 5.69 ft Normal −0.68 ft 7 mi
Nb Chicago River at N Pulaski Road at ChicagoRiver gauge, Nb Chicago River 11.38 ft Below flood stage −0.60 ft 8 mi
Chicago S & South Canal at Western Ave at ChicagoRiver gauge, Chicago S & South Canal −2.06 ft Normal +0.41 ft 8 mi
North Branch Chicago River at NilesRiver gauge, North Branch Chicago River 1.51 ft Normal −0.78 ft 9 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Des Plaines River at River Forest compare with last year?

It is 2.09 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.35 ft.

What is flood stage for the Des Plaines River at River Forest?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 10.56 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Des Plaines River at River Forest in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.13 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.26 ft and 11.15 ft, based on 14 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 Des Plaines River at River Forest today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 09:00 AM CDT, the water level was 5.44 ft. Down 1.37 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Des Plaines River at River Forest rising or falling?

Down 1.37 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.81 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Des Plaines River at River Forest normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 14 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:05530750 (Agency page)
Coordinates
41.88833, -87.83278 (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 5.44 ft 2026-10-17 14:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Des Plaines River at River Forest (usgs:05530750). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/des-plaines-river-at-river-forest

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