Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater)

Highest listed crest 513.30 ftFlood stage 507.0 ft11 crests since 1954

The Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater) crested above flood stage 11 times among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1954 to 2020. The highest, 513.30 ft on July 13, 1957, was minor flooding, 6.30 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Des Plaines River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
513.30 ft
July 13, 1957
Flood stage
507.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
11 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2020
513.25 ft, minor flooding
Location
Will County
Near Joliet (2.4 mi), Crest Hill (5.0 mi), Shorewood (5.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater)
Action stage506.50—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)507.011May 18, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1954 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater), 1954 to 2020 506508510512514ft Flood stage 507.0 ft Oct 11, 1954: 511.90 ft, minor floodingJul 13, 1957: 513.30 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1982: 512.32 ft, minor floodingJul 18, 1996: 513.12 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 1997: 511.28 ft, minor floodingAug 24, 2007: 511.30 ft, minor floodingSep 14, 2008: 512.25 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2017: 509.47 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 2018: 511.10 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2019: 510.57 ft, minor flooding; 81,174 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 513.25 ft, minor flooding Highest, 513.30 ft, Jul 13, 1957 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater) 1950s: 2 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Des Plaines River at Brandon Road Lock (tailwater)
1Jul 13, 1957513.30+6.30Minor—
2May 18, 2020513.25+6.25Minor—
3Jul 18, 1996513.12+6.12Minor—
4Dec 4, 1982512.32+5.32Minor—
5Sep 14, 2008512.25+5.25Minor—
6Oct 11, 1954511.90+4.90Minor—
7Aug 24, 2007511.30+4.30Minor—
8Feb 21, 1997511.28+4.28Minor—
9Feb 21, 2018511.10+4.10Minor—
10May 1, 2019510.57+3.57Minor81,174
11May 1, 2017509.47+2.47Minor—

The worst floods along the Des Plaines River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Des Plaines River that crested above flood stage within a week.

July 13, 1957: 513.30 ft here, minor flooding

  • RiversideIL · Jul 14, 1957 · 8.00 ft · Moderate
  • Des PlainesIL · Jul 13, 1957 · 15.18 ft · Minor
  • LemontIL · Jul 14, 1957 · 12.30 ft · Minor

May 18, 2020: 513.25 ft here, minor flooding

December 4, 1982: 512.32 ft here, minor flooding

  • RiversideIL · Dec 5, 1982 · 8.01 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Des Plaines River

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

Flood gauges on the Des Plaines River
RussellIL7.012.11 ft, Jul 14, 20178
GurneeIL7.012.09 ft, Jul 16, 20174
LincolnshireIL12.516.55 ft, Jul 13, 20174
Des PlainesIL15.020.92 ft, Apr 19, 20135
Des Plaines (Algonquin Road)IL13.021.00 ft, Sep 14, 20082
River ForestIL16.018.98 ft, Apr 19, 20131
RiversideIL7.511.28 ft, Apr 18, 20137
LyonsIL18.022.87 ft, Apr 18, 20132
LemontIL10.013.24 ft, May 18, 20200
JolietIL541.0542.00 ft, Jul 1, 19570
Brandon Road Lock (tailwater) this gaugeIL507.0513.30 ft, Jul 13, 19570

Other gauges in Will County

Flood gauges in Will County
Lockport Lock (tailwater)541.0546.59 ft, Dec 4, 19820
Joliet541.0542.00 ft, Jul 1, 19570
Shorewood15.524.03 ft, Jul 18, 19967
Plainfield12.016.57 ft, Apr 19, 20132
Bolingbrook20.025.54 ft, Apr 18, 20132
Joliet16.519.50 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Wilmington6.516.70 ft, Feb 5, 188317
Crete14.017.72 ft, Jun 9, 20110

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge JOLI2, 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.