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 1.85 ft on 2026-11-11 15:30:00 UTC. That observation was 5.2 ft below its 7 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
1.85 ft
as of 35 min ago
Streamflow
94 cfs
data refreshed 4 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.

Streamflow outlook

NOAA National Water Model forecast, issued 10 hours ago. The NWM models discharge for every river reach in the country, including the many gauges the National Weather Service does not forecast individually. It is a model, not an official NWS river forecast, and it predicts flow rather than water level.

Flood stages at this gauge

CategoryStageCurrent distance
Action6.5 ft4.7 ft below
Minor flood7 ft5.2 ft below
Moderate flood9 ft7.2 ft below
Major flood11 ft9.2 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

Last 7 days

Past 7 days · 1.85–2.06 ft

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