Skokie River at Lake Forest, IL

Lake County, Illinois · USGS gauge 05535000 · NWS LAFI2 · Skokie River flood status · Illinois river levels

Is Skokie River at Lake Forest, IL flooding right now?

Skokie River at Lake Forest, IL measured 2.56 ft on 2026-09-22 21:10:00 UTC. That observation was 3.4 ft below its 6 ft flood stage. This is the latest available reading, not a guarantee of current conditions.

Gauge height
2.56 ft
as of 25 min ago
Streamflow
32 cfs
data refreshed 4 min ago

Minor flooding here begins at 6 ft, with major flooding at 10.5 ft. The highest crest on record was 9.09 ft on Wed, Jul 12, 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
Action4 ft1.4 ft below
Minor flood6 ft3.4 ft below
Moderate flood8.5 ft5.9 ft below
Major flood10.5 ft7.9 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
9.09 ft2017-07-12
8.35 ft1982-07-22
8.27 ft1986-09-26
7.94 ft1982-12-03
7.78 ft2001-10-13

Last 7 days

flood stage 6 ft

Past 7 days · 2.11–6.00 ft

Nearby gauges

GaugeDistanceCounty
Des Plaines River at Lincolnshire, IL4.3 miLake County
Wf of Nb Chicago River at Deerfield, IL4.5 miLake County
Skokie River near Highland Park, IL5.6 miLake County
North Branch Chicago River at Deerfield, IL5.7 miLake County
Indian Creek at Prairie View, IL5.8 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