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Du Page River at Shorewood

Highest listed crest 24.03 ftFlood stage 15.5 ft61 crests since 1943

The Du Page River at Shorewood crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 61 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1943 to 2020. The highest, 24.03 ft on July 18, 1996, was major flooding, 8.53 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.03 ft
July 18, 1996; 17,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.5 ft
Major flooding from 19.5 ft
Crests at major
7
39th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2020
19.51 ft, major flooding
Location
Will County
Near Shorewood (1.2 mi), Joliet (2.4 mi), Crest Hill (5.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Du Page River at Shorewood
Action stage15.04Jul 1, 2014The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.535Apr 30, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.515May 2, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.57May 18, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

61 crests from 1943 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Du Page River at Shorewood, 1943 to 2020 14161820222426ft Flood stage 15.5 ftMajor 19.5 ft May 21, 1943: 15.14 ft, action stageJan 5, 1946: 16.01 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1947: 17.10 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1948: 20.10 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1949: 18.15 ft, moderate floodingApr 25, 1950: 19.25 ft, moderate floodingFeb 19, 1951: 16.40 ft, minor floodingJun 10, 1953: 17.02 ft, minor floodingOct 11, 1954: 21.06 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1957: 17.66 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1958: 15.30 ft, action stageApr 28, 1959: 16.49 ft, minor floodingJan 13, 1960: 15.76 ft, minor floodingSep 26, 1961: 16.88 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1962: 16.23 ft, minor floodingJul 18, 1964: 15.69 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1966: 18.26 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 1967: 15.55 ft, minor floodingMay 14, 1970: 15.23 ft, action stageAug 26, 1972: 17.97 ft, moderate floodingMay 17, 1974: 17.26 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1975: 15.95 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1976: 16.22 ft, minor floodingJun 25, 1978: 15.63 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1979: 17.67 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1981: 16.87 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1982: 16.50 ft, minor floodingJul 2, 1983: 19.94 ft, major flooding; 8,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 16.13 ft, minor floodingMar 4, 1985: 18.04 ft, moderate flooding; 5,760 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1987: 17.19 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1988: 15.98 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1990: 18.43 ft, moderate floodingNov 28, 1990: 17.03 ft, minor flooding; 4,600 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1993: 16.12 ft, minor flooding; 3,610 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1994: 15.85 ft, minor floodingJul 18, 1996: 24.03 ft, major flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 19.14 ft, moderate flooding; 7,100 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1998: 15.83 ft, minor flooding; 3,470 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 16.99 ft, minor flooding; 4,680 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2000: 16.08 ft, minor flooding; 3,740 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2001: 16.56 ft, minor flooding; 4,240 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2001: 17.32 ft, minor flooding; 5,010 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2004: 16.17 ft, minor flooding; 3,840 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 16.13 ft, minor flooding; 3,800 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 17.57 ft, moderate flooding; 5,000 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2008: 19.92 ft, major flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2008: 18.56 ft, moderate flooding; 7,310 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2010: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,380 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 17.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,380 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 21.54 ft, major flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 15.28 ft, action stage; 2,970 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2015: 16.80 ft, minor flooding; 4,960 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 16.10 ft, minor flooding; 4,170 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2017: 18.49 ft, moderate flooding; 7,540 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 2017: 18.61 ft, moderate flooding; 7,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 18.41 ft, moderate flooding; 7,070 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2018: 15.99 ft, minor flooding; 3,920 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2019: 18.81 ft, moderate flooding; 7,920 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 16.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,040 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 19.51 ft, major flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.03 ft, Jul 18, 1996 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Du Page River at Shorewood 1940s: 4 1950s: 6 1960s: 6 1970s: 6 1980s: 7 1990s: 8 2000s: 8 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 2 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 16.46 ft on Feb 6, 1942.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 61 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Du Page River at Shorewood
1Jul 18, 199624.03+8.53Major17,300
2Apr 19, 201321.54+6.04Major13,100
3Oct 11, 195421.06+5.56Major12,000
4Mar 19, 194820.10+4.60Major11,000
5Jul 2, 198319.94+4.44Major8,030
6Sep 15, 200819.92+4.42Major10,500
7May 18, 202019.51+4.01Major8,500
8Apr 25, 195019.25+3.75Moderate—
9Feb 21, 199719.14+3.64Moderate7,100
10May 2, 201918.81+3.31Moderate7,920
11Oct 16, 201718.61+3.11Moderate7,400
12Dec 29, 200818.56+3.06Moderate7,310
13May 1, 201718.49+2.99Moderate7,540
14May 10, 199018.43+2.93Moderate—
15Feb 21, 201818.41+2.91Moderate7,070
16May 12, 196618.26+2.76Moderate—
17Feb 13, 194918.15+2.65Moderate—
18Mar 4, 198518.04+2.54Moderate5,760
19Aug 26, 197217.97+2.47Moderate—
20Mar 19, 197917.67+2.17Moderate—
21Jul 13, 195717.66+2.16Moderate—
22Aug 24, 200717.57+2.07Moderate5,000
23Oct 15, 200117.32+1.82Minor5,010
24May 17, 197417.26+1.76Minor—
25Jul 26, 201017.20+1.70Minor5,380
26Jun 9, 201117.20+1.70Minor5,380
27Aug 27, 198717.19+1.69Minor—
28Apr 5, 194717.10+1.60Minor—
29Nov 28, 199017.03+1.53Minor4,600
30Jun 10, 195317.02+1.52Minor—
31Jan 24, 199916.99+1.49Minor4,680
32Apr 30, 202016.90+1.40Minor5,040
33Sep 26, 196116.88+1.38Minor—
34Jun 13, 198116.87+1.37Minor—
35Jun 17, 201516.80+1.30Minor4,960
36Feb 9, 200116.56+1.06Minor4,240
37Mar 13, 198216.50+1.00Minor—
38Apr 28, 195916.49+0.99Minor—
39Feb 19, 195116.40+0.90Minor—
40Mar 19, 196216.23+0.73Minor—
41Mar 5, 197616.22+0.72Minor—
42Jun 12, 200416.17+0.67Minor3,840
43Feb 13, 198416.13+0.63Minor—
44Jan 13, 200516.13+0.63Minor3,800
45Jun 8, 199316.12+0.62Minor3,610
46Mar 31, 201716.10+0.60Minor4,170
47Apr 21, 200016.08+0.58Minor3,740
48Jan 5, 194616.01+0.51Minor—
49Jun 23, 201815.99+0.49Minor3,920
50Apr 6, 198815.98+0.48Minor—

The worst floods along the Du Page River

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

April 19, 2013: 21.54 ft here, major flooding

  • PlainfieldIL · Apr 19, 2013 · 16.57 ft · Major · its highest

October 11, 1954: 21.06 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Du Page River

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

Flood gauges on the Du Page River
PlainfieldIL12.016.57 ft, Apr 19, 20132
Shorewood this gaugeIL15.524.03 ft, Jul 18, 19967

Other gauges in Will County

Flood gauges in Will County
Lockport Lock (tailwater)541.0546.59 ft, Dec 4, 19820
Brandon Road Lock (tailwater)507.0513.30 ft, Jul 13, 19570
Joliet541.0542.00 ft, Jul 1, 19570
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 SORI2, 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.