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Fox River near McHenry water level

River gauge, Fox River, Illinois, United States

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Water level

3.90ft Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours

Water temperature
60 °F
4.0 4.2

History

History
3.84.04.2ftOct 11Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 173.84.04.2ftOct 11Oct 14Oct 17
3.84.04.2ftSep 18Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 173.84.04.2ftSep 18Oct 2Oct 17
24ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 202624ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
24ftJanMarMayJulSepNov202624ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 3.90 ft, the Fox River near McHenry is below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 4.02 ft, based on 39 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.12 ft below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 3.93 ft, a difference of −0.03 ft.

The level is falling, down 0.16 ft over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 3.67 ft and 4.28 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that. The water temperature at the gauge is 60 °F.

Compared with 39 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
4.02 ft0.12 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date
3.81 ft – 4.23 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (39 years of records)
Same day last year
3.93 ft−0.03 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
3.67 ft – 4.28 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
1.72 ft – 5.25 ft

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.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.29 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 53° 35° – Wind 10 mph
18 Sun 59° 38° – Wind 15 mph
19 Mon 64° 43° – Wind 8 mph
20 Tue 66° 46° – Wind 8 mph
21 Wed 66° 49° – Wind 8 mph
22 Thu 64° 52° – Wind 6 mph
23 Fri 69° 51° – Wind 9 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:09 AM Sunset 06:09 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min First quarter 42%

Map

Other gauges on the Fox River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Fox River at PrincetonRiver gauge, Fox River 5.18 ft Below flood stage +0.17 ft 115 mi
Fox River at WaukeshaRiver gauge, Fox River 3.20 ft Below flood stage −0.10 ft 48 mi
Fox River at Waterford Dam, at WaterfordRiver gauge, Fox River 1.61 ft Very low −0.08 ft 32 mi
Fox River at RochesterRiver gauge, Fox River 4.24 ft Normal −0.23 ft 30 mi
Fox River near New MunsterRiver gauge, Fox River 7.05 ft Below flood stage +0.07 ft 21 mi
Fox River at JohnsburgRiver gauge, Fox River 3.94 ft Low −0.16 ft 4.6 mi
Fox River at AlgonquinRiver gauge, Fox River 1.75 ft Normal ±0 10 mi
Fox River at South ElginRiver gauge, Fox River 12.86 ft Normal +0.06 ft 22 mi
Fox River at South Elgin, Il (Tailwater)River gauge, Fox River 6.87 ft Normal +0.02 ft 22 mi
Fox River at MontgomeryRiver gauge, Fox River 11.81 ft Normal ±0 40 mi
Fox River at YorkvilleRiver gauge, Fox River 13.03 ft Normal −0.05 ft 47 mi
Fox River at DaytonRiver gauge, Fox River 7.61 ft High −0.20 ft 70 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Fox River (Tailwater) near McHenryRiver gauge, Fox River (Tailwater) 2.08 ft Normal +0.03 ft 0.1 mi
Boone Creek near Mc HenryRiver gauge, Boone Creek 1.19 ft Below flood stage −0.05 ft 3.2 mi
Nippersink Lake at Fox LakeLake, Nippersink Lake 4.08 ft Normal −0.14 ft 7 mi
Nippersink Creek above Wonder LakeRiver gauge, Nippersink Creek 5.20 ft Normal −0.10 ft 8 mi
Nippersink Creek near Spring GroveRiver gauge, Nippersink Creek 4.84 ft High −0.05 ft 9 mi
Fox Lake near Lake VillaLake, Fox Lake 4.11 ft Normal −0.08 ft 10 mi
Fox River (Tailwater) at AlgonquinRiver gauge, Fox River (Tailwater) 6.55 ft Normal +0.06 ft 10 mi
Elizabeth Lake Drain near Twin LakesRiver gauge, Elizabeth Lake Drain 794.01 ft Normal ±0 12 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Fox River near McHenry higher than last year?

No, it is 0.03 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.93 ft.

What is a normal level for the Fox River near McHenry in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 4.02 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 3.81 ft and 4.23 ft, based on 39 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 Fox River near McHenry today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 01:15 PM CDT, the water level was 3.90 ft. Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Fox River near McHenry rising or falling?

Down 0.16 ft over the last 24 hours. Up 0.11 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Fox River near McHenry normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 39 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
U.S. Geological Survey
Station code
usgs:05549500 (Agency page)
Coordinates
42.31002, -88.25147 (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 3.90 ft 2026-10-17 18:15 Provisional
Water temperature 60 °F 2026-10-17 18:00 Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Fox River near McHenry (usgs:05549500). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/fox-river-near-mchenry

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.