Rock River at Dixon water level

Name: Rock River at Dixon 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, Rock River, Illinois, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

9.48ft Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 05:15 PM CDT (53 min ago)

Flow: 6,260 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

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

What this means

The Rock River at Dixon is at 9.48 ft, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.64 ft above the median of 8.84 ft for mid-October, based on 15 years of readings. It is 6.52 ft below the flood stage of 16.00 ft. A year ago it stood at 8.56 ft (+0.92 ft).

It has dropped 0.13 ft over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 8.74 ft and 11.36 ft.

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

Compared with 15 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 8.84 ft0.64 ft above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 7.99 ft – 14.18 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (15 years of records)
Same day last year: 8.56 ft+0.92 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 8.74 ft – 11.36 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 7.84 ft – 15.89 ft
Highest on record: 20.50 ftApril 20, 1973

Floating and fishing near Rock River at Dixon

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

Flood stage here is 16.00 ft, 6.52 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

23.00 ft: Numerous residences threatened along Willet Avenue and Lincoln Avenue. Hennepin Avenue threatened at Boyd Street. Dixon High School threatened.
22.00 ft: River Road (IL-2) inundated east of Dixon. Water reaches the bottom of the Peoria Avenue bridge in Dixon.
21.00 ft: Structures threatened near 1st Street in Dixon. Residences threatened along Willet Avenue west of Dixon.
20.00 ft: Athletic fields inundated at Dixon High School. Parking lot threatened at KSB Hospital in Dixon.
19.00 ft: River Street threatened in Dixon.
17.50 ft: Flooding affects basement of Dixon High School.
16.50 ft: Numerous sections of Page Drive inundated along the river. Lower road inundated near boat docks in Lowell Park. Flooding of unimproved land on Riverside Drive in White Oaks. Dutch Landing Road is threatened north of Dixon.
16.00 ft: N Canal Drive threatened in Woodland Shores. Water overflows low-lying banks along west First Street in Dixon. Residential property threatened near Sherman Avenue and River Street in Dixon.
15.50 ft: Page Park picnic area is inundated. Backwater causes Sevenmile Branch to overflow low-lying banks near Forest Park Drive north of Dixon.
15.00 ft: Page Drive threatened in Page Park.
13.50 ft: Water overflows low-lying banks along Rock Nation Road northeast of Grand Detour.
13.00 ft: Water overtops low-lying banks along N Canal Drive and S Canal Drive west of Dixon. Islands in the river at Grand Detour inundated. Lower bike path along river in Dixon is threatened.
9.48 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 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	20.50 ft	April 20, 1973
2	19.00 ft	July 2, 1996
3	18.50 ft	March 25, 1975
4	18.40 ft	February 24, 2019
5	18.40 ft	April 5, 1959
6	18.40 ft	March 21, 1979
7	18.29 ft	February 8, 2019
8	18.16 ft	April 20, 2013
9	18.02 ft	March 6, 2019
10	17.83 ft	July 25, 2010

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.

16 Fri 55° 42° – Wind 19 mph

17 Sat 52° 36° – Wind 11 mph

18 Sun 60° 38° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 64° 44° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 66° 47° – Wind 7 mph

21 Wed 66° 49° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 69° 51° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:13 AM Sunset 06:15 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 44%

Map

Other gauges on the Rock River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Rock River at JeffersonRiver gauge, Rock River	4.82 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	87 mi
Rock River at Fort AtkinsonRiver gauge, Rock River	11.65 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	82 mi
Rock River at NewvilleRiver gauge, Rock River	2.67 ft	Below flood stage	−0.09 ft	72 mi
Rock River at AftonRiver gauge, Rock River	5.60 ft	Below flood stage	+0.05 ft	57 mi
Rock River at RocktonRiver gauge, Rock River	5.33 ft	High	+0.01 ft	47 mi
Rock River at Latham ParkRiver gauge, Rock River	5.38 ft	Normal	+0.28 ft	42 mi
Rock River at Auburn St at RockfordRiver gauge, Rock River	3.28 ft	Normal	+0.15 ft	38 mi
Rock River above Dam at RockfordRiver gauge, Rock River	2.70 ft	High	+0.22 ft	35 mi
Rock River at ByronRiver gauge, Rock River	7.16 ft	Normal	±0	23 mi
Rock River above Sinnissippi Dam at Rock FallsRiver gauge, Rock River	6.67 ft	Very high	−0.09 ft	11 mi
Rock River at ComoRiver gauge, Rock River	5.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.14 ft	14 mi
Rock River near JoslinRiver gauge, Rock River	7.45 ft	High	+0.15 ft	41 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Elkhorn Creek near PenroseRiver gauge, Elkhorn Creek	3.29 ft	High	−0.05 ft	12 mi
Pecatonica River at FreeportRiver gauge, Pecatonica River	5.91 ft	Normal	+0.24 ft	32 mi
Big Bureau Creek at PrincetonRiver gauge, Big Bureau Creek	3.29 ft	Very high	−0.04 ft	33 mi
Mississippi River at Dam 13 near FultonRiver gauge, Mississippi River	4.73 ft	Below flood stage	+0.03 ft	35 mi
Kishwaukee River near PerryvilleRiver gauge, Kishwaukee River	6.49 ft	Normal	+0.05 ft	35 mi
South Branch Kishwaukee River near FairdaleRiver gauge, South Branch Kishwaukee River	2.81 ft	High	−0.04 ft	35 mi

Questions and answers

How does the Rock River at Dixon compare with last year?

It is 0.92 ft higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 8.56 ft.

What is flood stage for the Rock River at Dixon?

The official flood stage is 16.00 ft. The level is currently 6.52 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Rock River at Dixon in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 8.84 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 7.99 ft and 14.18 ft, based on 15 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 Rock River at Dixon today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 05:15 PM CDT, the water level was 9.48 ft. Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Rock River at Dixon rising or falling?

Down 0.13 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.48 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Rock River at Dixon normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 15 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:05442300 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 41.84417, -89.48583 (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	9.48 ft	2026-10-17 22:15	Provisional
Flow	6,260 cfs	2026-10-17 22:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Rock River at Dixon (usgs:05442300). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/illinois/rock-river-at-dixon

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