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Des Plaines River near Russell

Highest listed crest 12.11 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft70 crests since 1948

The Des Plaines River near Russell crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 70 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1948 to 2021. The highest, 12.11 ft on July 14, 2017, was major flooding, 5.11 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Des Plaines River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.11 ft
July 14, 2017; 2,830 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
8
35th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
March 12, 2021
7.10 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lake County
Near Pleasant Prairie (3.2 mi), Beach Park (4.2 mi), Zion (4.3 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 near Russell
Action stage6.52Apr 13, 2002The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.046Mar 12, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.010May 1, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.08Sep 15, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

70 crests from 1948 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Des Plaines River near Russell, 1948 to 2021 68101214ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 28, 1948: 8.10 ft, minor floodingApr 25, 1950: 7.30 ft, minor floodingJul 13, 1957: 6.20 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 1960: 9.69 ft, moderate flooding; 1,320 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1962: 8.21 ft, minor flooding; 820 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1965: 7.53 ft, minor flooding; 600 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1966: 8.41 ft, minor flooding; 740 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1967: 8.35 ft, minor floodingJul 1, 1968: 6.01 ft, below flood stage; 235 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1969: 6.69 ft, action stage; 273 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1969: 7.64 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 1970: 7.80 ft, minor flooding; 508 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 1970: 7.82 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 1971: 8.61 ft, minor flooding; 898 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1972: 8.10 ft, minor flooding; 816 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1972: 9.40 ft, moderate floodingApr 23, 1973: 7.74 ft, minor flooding; 940 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1974: 9.30 ft, moderate flooding; 1,690 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1975: 6.43 ft, below flood stage; 407 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1976: 10.75 ft, major flooding; 1,990 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1978: 10.31 ft, major flooding; 1,380 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1979: 9.69 ft, moderate flooding; 2,120 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1980: 7.16 ft, minor flooding; 484 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1981: 6.49 ft, below flood stage; 378 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1982: 8.30 ft, minor flooding; 873 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1983: 9.89 ft, moderate flooding; 1,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1984: 7.43 ft, minor flooding; 597 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1985: 8.69 ft, minor flooding; 950 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1986: 10.75 ft, major flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1987: 8.32 ft, minor flooding; 435 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1988: 8.07 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1988: 7.57 ft, minor flooding; 442 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1990: 8.96 ft, minor flooding; 852 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1991: 8.24 ft, minor flooding; 587 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1993: 8.89 ft, minor flooding; 1,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1994: 9.95 ft, moderate floodingMay 23, 1996: 8.31 ft, minor flooding; 1,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1997: 7.77 ft, minor flooding; 853 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1998: 7.66 ft, minor flooding; 794 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1999: 8.38 ft, minor flooding; 1,250 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2000: 9.95 ft, moderate flooding; 2,130 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2001: 7.00 ft, minor flooding; 501 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2002: 6.87 ft, action stage; 527 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 11.09 ft, major flooding; 3,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2005: 7.41 ft, minor flooding; 672 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2006: 7.02 ft, minor flooding; 509 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 10.51 ft, major flooding; 1,450 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2008: 9.47 ft, moderate flooding; 1,910 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2009: 10.01 ft, major flooding; 2,470 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2010: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 1,180 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2011: 7.59 ft, minor flooding; 761 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 9.99 ft, moderate flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2017: 7.81 ft, minor flooding; 627 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2017: 7.46 ft, minor flooding; 669 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 2017: 12.11 ft, major flooding; 2,830 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2018: 7.90 ft, minor flooding; 794 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2018: 7.98 ft, minor flooding; 833 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 8.07 ft, minor flooding; 871 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2018: 8.50 ft, minor flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 2018: 7.93 ft, minor flooding; 809 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2019: 8.23 ft, minor flooding; 933 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2019: 8.06 ft, minor flooding; 1,210 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 2019: 7.31 ft, minor flooding; 942 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2019: 10.48 ft, major flooding; 1,780 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 2019: 8.43 ft, minor flooding; 954 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2019: 7.00 ft, minor flooding; 636 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2020: 7.87 ft, minor flooding; 821 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2020: 9.03 ft, moderate flooding; 1,650 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 8.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,570 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2021: 7.10 ft, minor flooding; 734 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.11 ft, Jul 14, 2017 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Des Plaines River near Russell 1940s: 1 1950s: 1 1960s: 6 1970s: 10 1980s: 9 1990s: 8 2000s: 8 2010s: 17 17 2020s: 4 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 70 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Des Plaines River near Russell
1Jul 14, 201712.11+5.11Major2,830
2May 23, 200411.09+4.09Major3,500
3Mar 6, 197610.75+3.75Major1,990
4Sep 27, 198610.75+3.75Major1,640
5Aug 24, 200710.51+3.51Major1,450
6Sep 15, 201910.48+3.48Major1,780
7Aug 21, 197810.31+3.31Major1,380
8Jun 21, 200910.01+3.01Major2,470
9Apr 19, 20139.99+2.99Moderate2,300
10Feb 23, 19949.95+2.95Moderate—
11Jun 14, 20009.95+2.95Moderate2,130
12Apr 4, 19839.89+2.89Moderate1,630
13Apr 2, 19609.69+2.69Moderate1,320
14Mar 21, 19799.69+2.69Moderate2,120
15Jun 11, 20089.47+2.47Moderate1,910
16Sep 22, 19729.40+2.40Moderate—
17Mar 5, 19749.30+2.30Moderate1,690
18May 1, 20209.03+2.03Moderate1,650
19Mar 15, 19908.96+1.96Minor852
20May 20, 20208.90+1.90Minor1,570
21Apr 21, 19938.89+1.89Minor1,750
22Mar 5, 19858.69+1.69Minor950
23Feb 23, 19718.61+1.61Minor898
24Oct 9, 20188.50+1.50Minor1,040
25Oct 6, 20198.43+1.43Minor954
26Feb 10, 19668.41+1.41Minor740
27Apr 25, 19998.38+1.38Minor1,250
28Jun 10, 19678.35+1.35Minor—
29Apr 17, 19878.32+1.32Minor435
30May 23, 19968.31+1.31Minor1,200
31Mar 18, 19828.30+1.30Minor873
32Mar 14, 20108.27+1.27Minor1,180
33Mar 30, 19918.24+1.24Minor587
34Feb 8, 20198.23+1.23Minor933
35Mar 22, 19628.21+1.21Minor820
36Mar 28, 19488.10+1.10Minor—
37Apr 19, 19728.10+1.10Minor816
38Feb 2, 19888.07+1.07Minor—
39Jun 27, 20188.07+1.07Minor871
40Mar 15, 20198.06+1.06Minor1,210
41May 17, 20187.98+0.98Minor833
42Dec 5, 20187.93+0.93Minor809
43Feb 23, 20187.90+0.90Minor794
44Mar 31, 20207.87+0.87Minor821
45Sep 28, 19707.82+0.82Minor—
46Apr 2, 20177.81+0.81Minor627
47Jun 5, 19707.80+0.80Minor508
48Feb 24, 19977.77+0.77Minor853
49Apr 23, 19737.74+0.74Minor940
50Apr 18, 19987.66+0.66Minor794

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 14, 2017: 12.11 ft here, major flooding

  • Des PlainesIL · Jul 14, 2017 · 19.92 ft · Major
  • LincolnshireIL · Jul 13, 2017 · 16.55 ft · Major · its highest
  • GurneeIL · Jul 16, 2017 · 12.09 ft · Major · its highest
  • RiversideIL · Jul 15, 2017 · 7.71 ft · Minor

May 23, 2004: 11.09 ft here, major flooding

  • GurneeIL · May 25, 2004 · 11.76 ft · Major
  • Des PlainesIL · May 27, 2004 · 18.51 ft · Moderate

March 6, 1976: 10.75 ft here, major flooding

  • GurneeIL · Mar 7, 1976 · 9.84 ft · Moderate
  • Des PlainesIL · Mar 6, 1976 · 15.77 ft · Minor

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
Russell this gaugeIL7.012.11 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)IL507.0513.30 ft, Jul 13, 19570

Other gauges in Lake County

Flood gauges in Lake County
Lincolnshire12.516.55 ft, Jul 13, 20174
Gurnee7.012.09 ft, Jul 16, 20174
Fox Lake6.08.12 ft, Apr 5, 19606
Lake Villa6.08.90 ft, Jul 4, 19387
Antioch6.08.34 ft, Apr 5, 19606
Old Mill Creek11.013.21 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Deerfield9.512.75 ft, Jul 13, 20170
Highland Park9.010.44 ft, Jul 13, 20170
Lake Forest6.09.09 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Deerfield13.016.84 ft, Jun 10, 19671

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RUSI2, 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.