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East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove

Highest listed crest 17.79 ftFlood stage 14.5 ft37 crests since 1950

The East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 37 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1950 to 2022. The highest, 17.79 ft on April 18, 2013, was major flooding, 3.29 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the East Branch Du Page River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.79 ft
April 18, 2013; 1,320 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.5 ft
Major flooding from 17.0 ft
Crests at major
3
72nd of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2020
16.68 ft, moderate flooding
Location
DuPage County
Near Glen Ellyn (2.5 mi), Downers Grove (2.9 mi), Lombard (3.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove
Action stage14.07May 4, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.513Jun 9, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.09May 18, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage17.03Apr 18, 2013Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

37 crests from 1950 to 2022. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove, 1950 to 2022 131415161718ft Flood stage 14.5 ftMajor 17.0 ft Apr 25, 1950: 15.50 ft, minor floodingOct 10, 1954: 16.78 ft, moderate flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1961: 14.87 ft, minor flooding; 652 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1966: 15.80 ft, minor flooding; 993 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1967: 14.95 ft, minor flooding; 675 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1968: 15.12 ft, minor flooding; 728 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1970: 15.11 ft, minor flooding; 725 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1972: 16.94 ft, moderate flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1972: 15.29 ft, minor flooding; 786 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 1975: 14.90 ft, minor flooding; 661 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 14.58 ft, minor flooding; 575 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1990: 15.55 ft, minor flooding; 881 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1990: 15.01 ft, minor flooding; 747 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1994: 14.38 ft, action stage; 617 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1996: 16.13 ft, moderate flooding; 936 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 16.08 ft, moderate flooding; 925 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1997: 14.18 ft, action stage; 547 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1999: 14.01 ft, action stage; 517 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2000: 14.11 ft, action stage; 535 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2001: 13.68 ft, below flood stage; 460 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2001: 16.28 ft, moderate flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2003: 13.78 ft, below flood stage; 538 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 14.01 ft, action stage; 517 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 2006: 15.68 ft, minor flooding; 840 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 17.26 ft, major flooding; 1,720 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2008: 16.58 ft, moderate flooding; 1,040 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2010: 17.37 ft, major flooding; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 14.50 ft, minor flooding; 606 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 17.79 ft, major flooding; 1,320 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 13.84 ft, below flood stage; 487 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2015: 16.30 ft, moderate flooding; 882 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2016: 13.84 ft, below flood stage; 453 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2019: 16.00 ft, moderate flooding; 907 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 14.44 ft, action stage; 626 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 16.68 ft, moderate flooding; 1,100 cubic feet per secondOct 25, 2021: 13.85 ft, below flood stage; 512 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2022: 14.03 ft, action stage; 491 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.79 ft, Apr 18, 2013 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove 1950s: 2 1960s: 4 1970s: 5 5 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 2000s: 4 2010s: 5 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, East Branch Du Page River near Downers Grove
1Apr 18, 201317.79+3.29Major1,320
2Jul 24, 201017.37+2.87Major1,220
3Sep 14, 200817.26+2.76Major1,720
4Aug 26, 197216.94+2.44Moderate1,720
5Oct 10, 195416.78+2.28Moderate1,590
6May 18, 202016.68+2.18Moderate1,100
7Dec 27, 200816.58+2.08Moderate1,040
8Jun 16, 201516.30+1.80Moderate882
9Oct 14, 200116.28+1.78Moderate1,040
10Jul 18, 199616.13+1.63Moderate936
11Feb 21, 199716.08+1.58Moderate925
12May 1, 201916.00+1.50Moderate907
13May 12, 196615.80+1.30Minor993
14Oct 3, 200615.68+1.18Minor840
15May 10, 199015.55+1.05Minor881
16Apr 25, 195015.50+1.00Minor—
17Dec 30, 197215.29+0.79Minor786
18Aug 17, 196815.12+0.62Minor728
19Jun 2, 197015.11+0.61Minor725
20Nov 28, 199015.01+0.51Minor747
21Jun 10, 196714.95+0.45Minor675
22Apr 19, 197514.90+0.40Minor661
23Sep 14, 196114.87+0.37Minor652
24Mar 5, 197614.58+0.08Minor575
25Jun 9, 201114.500.00Minor606
26Apr 30, 202014.44−0.06Action626
27Jun 24, 199414.38−0.12Action617
28May 8, 199714.18−0.32Action547
29Apr 21, 200014.11−0.39Action535
30May 4, 202214.03−0.47Action491
31Jan 23, 199914.01−0.49Action517
32Jan 13, 200514.01−0.49Action517
33Oct 25, 202113.85−0.65Below flood stage512
34Jun 20, 201413.84−0.66Below flood stage487
35May 12, 201613.84−0.66Below flood stage453
36May 1, 200313.78−0.72Below flood stage538
37Feb 9, 200113.68−0.82Below flood stage460

The worst floods along the East Branch Du Page River

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

April 18, 2013: 17.79 ft here, major flooding

  • BolingbrookIL · Apr 18, 2013 · 25.54 ft · Major · its highest
  • LisleIL · Apr 18, 2013 · 17.50 ft · Major · its highest

September 14, 2008: 17.26 ft here, major flooding

October 10, 1954: 16.78 ft here, moderate flooding

  • BolingbrookIL · Oct 11, 1954 · 21.90 ft · Minor
  • LisleIL · Oct 10, 1954 · 14.90 ft · Minor

Gauges on the East Branch Du Page River

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

Flood gauges on the East Branch Du Page River
Downers Grove this gaugeIL14.517.79 ft, Apr 18, 20133
LisleIL13.017.50 ft, Apr 18, 20131
BolingbrookIL20.025.54 ft, Apr 18, 20132

Other gauges in DuPage County

Flood gauges in DuPage County
Lisle13.017.50 ft, Apr 18, 20131
West Chicago6.59.37 ft, Sep 14, 20080
Elmhurst11.015.83 ft, Aug 27, 19721
Oak Brook54.057.40 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Wood Dale12.516.58 ft, Sep 14, 20082
Lemont14.017.53 ft, Jul 18, 19960
Lisle11.015.20 ft, Jul 1, 19573
Naperville (Fawell Dam)686.5692.10 ft, Sep 14, 20081
Naperville (Webster St)667.0672.00 ft, Apr 19, 20130
Warrenville12.517.08 ft, Apr 18, 20130
West Chicago7.012.28 ft, Sep 13, 20084

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DEBI2, 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.