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Illinois River at Henry water level

River gauge, Illinois River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

15.22ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
11,700 cfs
Water temperature
60 °F
20 30 Highest onrecord 32.94 ft Minor floodstage 23.00 ft

History

1520ftOct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Minor flood stage1520ftOct 11Oct 17Oct 24Minor flood stage
1520ftSep 18Sep 27Oct 6Oct 15Oct 24Minor flood stage1520ftSep 18Oct 6Oct 24Minor flood stage
152025ftOct 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026Jul 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage152025ftOct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026Minor flood stage
152025ftJanMarMayJulSepNov2026152025ftJanAprJulOct2026

20252026

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

The forecast expects the river to fall to 15.00 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 07:00 AM. Issued Friday, October 16 at 08:33 PM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The gauge at Illinois River at Henry reads 15.22 ft, a normal level for mid-October.

That puts it 0.51 ft above the median of 14.71 ft for mid-October, based on 32 years of readings. It is 7.78 ft below the flood stage of 23.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 14.46 ft (+0.76 ft).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 15.00 ft by Wednesday, October 21 at 07:00 AM. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 15.02 ft and 18.39 ft.

The sensor also reports a water temperature of 60 °F.

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

Key numbers

Median for this date
14.71 ft0.51 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date
14.37 ft – 18.28 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (32 years of records)
Same day last year
14.46 ft+0.76 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days
15.02 ft – 18.39 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months
14.00 ft – 24.19 ft
Highest on record
32.94 ftApril 22, 2013
Forecast peak
15.20 ftSaturday, October 17 at 07:00 AM

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 23.00 ft, still 7.78 ft away.

What happens at each level

32.50 ft
Illinois Route 18 in Marshall County is closed. Parts of Illinois Route 17 between Sparland and Lacon are closed.
32.00 ft
Water begins flooding parts of Illinois Route 18 between Henry and Illinois Route 26. Parts of Illinois Route 17 begin to flood.
30.50 ft
The Marina building is flooded. Inundation from Waterworks Park on Cromwell Drive toward old grain elevator location on Water Street.
29.60 ft
A few homes begin to flood in Henry.
28.50 ft
Hennepin levee overtopped.
28.00 ft
Flooding begins to affect buildings east of Illinois Route 29 in Sparland.
23.00 ft
Water begins to affect the marina in Henry along with minor flooding of land adjacent to the river.
15.22 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: 29 %.

RankLevelDate
132.94 ftApril 22, 2013
232.67 ftMarch 22, 1979
332.20 ftMay 23, 1943
432.02 ftMarch 7, 1985
531.62 ftMay 21, 2020
631.49 ftMarch 13, 2009
731.35 ftMay 6, 2019
831.25 ftMarch 5, 1985
930.98 ftSeptember 19, 2008
1030.74 ftMarch 22, 1982

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.47 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

16 Fri 56° 44° – Wind 15 mph
17 Sat 54° 36° – Wind 9 mph
18 Sun 62° 36° – Wind 13 mph
19 Mon 66° 45° – Wind 7 mph
20 Tue 68° 48° – Wind 7 mph
21 Wed 70° 51° – Wind 7 mph
22 Thu 74° 52° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:12 AM Sunset 06:15 PM Daylight 11 hr, 3 min First quarter 41%

Map

Other gauges on the Illinois River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Illinois River at MorrisRiver gauge, Illinois River 5.75 ft Normal −0.13 ft 51 mi
Illinois River at SenecaRiver gauge, Illinois River 20.61 ft Normal −0.21 ft 41 mi
Illinois River at MarseillesRiver gauge, Illinois River 12.48 ft High +0.17 ft 37 mi
Illinois River at Kingston MinesRiver gauge, Illinois River 6.34 ft Normal +0.91 ft 44 mi
Illinois River at Copperas CreekRiver gauge, Illinois River 5.76 ft Normal +0.69 ft 52 mi
Illinois River at MeredosiaRiver gauge, Illinois River 4.86 ft Normal −0.18 ft 109 mi
Illinois River at Valley CityRiver gauge, Illinois River 3.95 ft Normal −0.29 ft 118 mi
Illinois River at FlorenceRiver gauge, Illinois River 16.76 ft Normal −0.31 ft 121 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Big Bureau Creek at PrincetonRiver gauge, Big Bureau Creek 3.33 ft Very high +0.12 ft 19 mi
Vermilion River near LeonoreRiver gauge, Vermilion River 3.69 ft Normal −0.08 ft 23 mi
Indian Creek near WyomingRiver gauge, Indian Creek 10.44 ft Very high −0.46 ft 26 mi
Fondulac Creek near East PeoriaRiver gauge, Fondulac Creek 1.36 ft Very low −0.21 ft 31 mi
Farm Creek at FarmdaleRiver gauge, Farm Creek 0.67 ft Very low −0.02 ft 31 mi
Mackinaw River near CongervilleRiver gauge, Mackinaw River 1.20 ft Normal +0.01 ft 34 mi
Fox River at DaytonRiver gauge, Fox River 7.67 ft High +0.17 ft 35 mi
Vermilion River at PontiacRiver gauge, Vermilion River 2.83 ft Normal +0.02 ft 41 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Illinois River at Henry compare with last year?

It is 0.76 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 14.46 ft.

What is flood stage for the Illinois River at Henry?

The official flood stage is 23.00 ft. The level is currently 7.78 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Illinois River at Henry in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 14.71 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 14.37 ft and 18.28 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 Illinois River at Henry today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 08:45 AM CDT, the water level was 15.22 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Illinois River at Henry rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.92 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Illinois River at Henry normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 32 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:05558300 (Agency page)
Coordinates
41.10728, -89.35622 (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 15.22 ft 2026-10-17 13:45 Provisional
Flow 11,700 cfs 2026-10-17 13:45 Provisional
Water temperature 60 °F 2026-10-17 13:45 Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Illinois River at Henry (usgs:05558300). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/illinois-river-at-henry

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