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Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave)

Highest listed crest 5.26 ftFlood stage 4.0 ft5 crests since 1977

The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave) crested above flood stage 2 times among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1977 to 2020. The highest, 5.26 ft on May 17, 2020, was minor flooding, 1.26 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
5.26 ft
May 17, 2020
Flood stage
4.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 17, 2020
5.26 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cook County
Near Chicago (0.0 mi), Cicero (3.8 mi), Berwyn (5.4 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave)
Action stage2.02Oct 14, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)4.02May 17, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1977 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave), 1977 to 2020 123456ft Flood stage 4.0 ft Jun 30, 1977: 4.10 ft, minor floodingJun 15, 2015: 3.07 ft, action stageOct 14, 2017: 3.62 ft, action stageMay 1, 2019: 1.65 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 2020: 5.26 ft, minor flooding Highest, 5.26 ft, May 17, 2020 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave) 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Chicago (Western Ave)
1May 17, 20205.26+1.26Minor—
2Jun 30, 19774.10+0.10Minor—
3Oct 14, 20173.62−0.38Action—
4Jun 15, 20153.07−0.93Action—
5May 1, 20191.65−2.35Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 17, 2020: 5.26 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Chicago (Western Ave) this gaugeIL4.05.26 ft, May 17, 20200
Lockport Lock (tailwater)IL541.0546.59 ft, Dec 4, 19820

Other gauges in Cook County

Flood gauges in Cook County
Bellwood9.013.57 ft, Jul 24, 20104
Wheeling5.08.46 ft, Jun 26, 20136
Flossmoor9.013.08 ft, Apr 17, 20060
Markham10.012.00 ft, Oct 11, 19542
Chicago (Columbus Dr)3.05.50 ft, Oct 10, 19542
Chicago Heights10.012.87 ft, Sep 15, 20080
Des Plaines (Algonquin Road)13.021.00 ft, Sep 14, 20082
Lyons18.022.87 ft, Apr 18, 20132
River Forest16.018.98 ft, Apr 19, 20131
Riverside7.511.28 ft, Apr 18, 20137
Des Plaines15.020.92 ft, Apr 19, 20135
Lemont10.013.24 ft, May 18, 20200
Willow Springs10.010.57 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Lake Michigan at Calumet Harbor5.06.07 ft, Aug 11, 20200
Lake Michigan at Chicago (Chicago Lock)4.05.98 ft, Apr 29, 20200
Lansing7.010.18 ft, Oct 11, 19540
South Holland16.020.50 ft, Nov 28, 19905
Lemont6.011.10 ft, Jul 18, 19961
Mount Prospect5.08.08 ft, Aug 14, 19872
Oak Forest6.09.50 ft, Apr 5, 19472
Midlothian8.59.98 ft, Feb 2, 20160
Chicago (Grand Ave)3.05.70 ft, Oct 10, 19543
Chicago (Pulaski Rd)18.022.50 ft, Aug 14, 19871
Niles10.012.13 ft, Sep 14, 20082
Elgin5.57.69 ft, Sep 13, 20080
Elk Grove Village17.020.80 ft, May 18, 20200
Rolling Meadows8.514.03 ft, Aug 14, 19870
Western Springs7.510.65 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Worth31.036.50 ft, Oct 11, 19542
Glenwood8.511.14 ft, Jul 13, 19570
Thornton9.017.06 ft, Jun 14, 19816
Palos Park9.010.30 ft, Oct 10, 19540
Des Plaines9.015.09 ft, Jun 10, 19677
Northbrook7.010.10 ft, Aug 14, 19877

Cook County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Illinois

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CSWI2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.