Des Plaines River near Gurnee, IL

Lake County, Illinois · USGS gauge 05528000 · NWS GUNI2 · Des Plaines River flood status · Illinois river levels

Is Des Plaines River near Gurnee, IL flooding right now?

Des Plaines River near Gurnee, IL measured 6.91 ft on 2026-09-22 20:30:00 UTC. That observation was 0.1 ft below its 7 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
6.91 ft
as of 77 min ago
Streamflow
1,020 cfs
data refreshed 16 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 7 ft, with major flooding at 11 ft. The highest crest on record was 12.09 ft on Sun, Jul 16, 2017.

Flood forecast

flood stage 7 ft

NWS forecast, issued 7 hours ago. Forecasts are issued for select river points and update through the day.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action6.5 ft0.4 ft ABOVE
Minor flood7 ft0.1 ft below
Moderate flood9 ft2.1 ft below
Major flood11 ft4.1 ft below

New to these numbers? What does flood stage mean? · How to read a river gauge · Why is the river rising?

Highest crests on record

StageDate
12.09 ft2017-07-16
11.95 ft1986-09-27
11.76 ft2004-05-25
11.2 ft2013-04-20
10.64 ft1960-04-03

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Bull Creek near Libertyville, IL3.0 miLake County
Mill Creek at Old Mill Creek, IL5.1 miLake County
Manitou Creek at Round Lake, IL7.5 miLake County
North Mill Creek near Milburn, IL7.6 miLake County
Hastings Creek near Lindenhurst, IL8.4 miLake County
Provisional data: Real-time readings are provisional and subject to revision by the USGS — sensors can be affected by ice, debris, or equipment malfunction. Do not rely on this site for decisions involving personal safety; follow official guidance from the National Weather Service and local authorities.

Sources: USGS monitoring location · NWS gauge & forecast