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Flag Creek near Willow Springs

Highest listed crest 10.57 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft50 crests since 1965

The Flag Creek near Willow Springs crested above flood stage 5 times among the 50 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1965 to 2019. The highest, 10.57 ft on April 18, 2013, was minor flooding, 0.57 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.57 ft
April 18, 2013; 2,610 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 13.0 ft
Crests at major
0
5 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
August 22, 2014
10.06 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cook County
Near Burr Ridge (1.3 mi), Hickory Hills (3.7 mi), Justice (3.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Flag Creek near Willow Springs
Action stage9.08Jun 9, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.05Aug 22, 2014Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage12.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage13.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

50 crests from 1965 to 2019. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Flag Creek near Willow Springs, 1965 to 2019 68101214ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 13.0 ft Sep 9, 1965: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 576 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1966: 8.98 ft, below flood stage; 975 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1967: 7.79 ft, below flood stage; 816 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1968: 7.26 ft, below flood stage; 648 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1969: 7.88 ft, below flood stage; 803 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1972: 7.95 ft, below flood stage; 830 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1972: 7.83 ft, below flood stage; 786 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1974: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 696 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1975: 9.70 ft, action stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1976: 10.22 ft, minor flooding; 2,230 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1977: 6.89 ft, below flood stage; 560 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1978: 6.94 ft, below flood stage; 575 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1979: 8.02 ft, below flood stage; 967 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1981: 7.64 ft, below flood stage; 823 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1982: 7.65 ft, below flood stage; 826 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1983: 9.86 ft, action stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1984: 7.22 ft, below flood stage; 670 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 8.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1986: 7.12 ft, below flood stage; 636 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1987: 7.93 ft, below flood stage; 939 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1988: 7.47 ft, below flood stage; 759 cubic feet per secondSep 1, 1989: 7.48 ft, below flood stage; 708 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1990: 9.87 ft, action stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1990: 9.02 ft, action stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 1992: 8.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1993: 8.13 ft, below flood stage; 791 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 1994: 7.31 ft, below flood stage; 569 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1995: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 567 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1996: 10.37 ft, minor flooding; 2,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 9.34 ft, action stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondSep 7, 1998: 8.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 1999: 8.03 ft, below flood stage; 860 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2000: 7.29 ft, below flood stage; 633 cubic feet per secondAug 2, 2001: 7.68 ft, below flood stage; 745 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2001: 8.30 ft, below flood stage; 962 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2003: 7.16 ft, below flood stage; 600 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2004: 7.82 ft, below flood stage; 790 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 7.50 ft, below flood stage; 692 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2006: 6.82 ft, below flood stage; 559 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 2006: 9.00 ft, action stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 8.85 ft, below flood stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2008: 9.01 ft, action stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2010: 10.36 ft, minor flooding; 2,350 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2011: 9.02 ft, action stage; 1,580 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 2012: 8.32 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 10.57 ft, minor flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2014: 10.06 ft, minor flooding; 2,240 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2015: 8.44 ft, below flood stage; 1,270 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2017: 7.36 ft, below flood stage; 797 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2019: 8.15 ft, below flood stage; 963 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.57 ft, Apr 18, 2013 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Flag Creek near Willow Springs 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 3 3 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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: 13.71 ft on Sep 14, 1961.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Flag Creek near Willow Springs
1Apr 18, 201310.57+0.57Minor2,610
2Jul 18, 199610.37+0.37Minor2,300
3Jul 24, 201010.36+0.36Minor2,350
4Jun 13, 197610.22+0.22Minor2,230
5Aug 22, 201410.06+0.06Minor2,240
6May 9, 19909.87−0.13Action1,910
7Jul 2, 19839.86−0.14Action1,960
8Apr 18, 19759.70−0.30Action1,630
9Feb 21, 19979.34−0.66Action1,540
10Nov 27, 19909.02−0.98Action1,470
11Jun 9, 20119.02−0.98Action1,580
12Dec 27, 20089.01−0.99Action1,330
13Oct 3, 20069.00−1.00Action1,490
14May 12, 19668.98−1.02Below flood stage975
15Mar 4, 19858.89−1.11Below flood stage1,390
16Sep 14, 20088.85−1.15Below flood stage1,240
17Sep 7, 19988.71−1.29Below flood stage1,160
18Jun 15, 20158.44−1.56Below flood stage1,270
19Aug 26, 20128.32−1.68Below flood stage1,210
20Oct 13, 20018.30−1.70Below flood stage962
21May 1, 20198.15−1.85Below flood stage963
22Jun 7, 19938.13−1.87Below flood stage791
23Sep 9, 19928.10−1.90Below flood stage1,100
24Apr 9, 19998.03−1.97Below flood stage860
25Apr 12, 19798.02−1.98Below flood stage967
26Aug 26, 19727.95−2.05Below flood stage830
27Aug 26, 19877.93−2.07Below flood stage939
28Apr 17, 19697.88−2.12Below flood stage803
29Dec 30, 19727.83−2.17Below flood stage786
30Aug 28, 20047.82−2.18Below flood stage790
31Apr 1, 19677.79−2.21Below flood stage816
32Aug 2, 20017.68−2.32Below flood stage745
33Mar 13, 19827.65−2.35Below flood stage826
34Jun 13, 19817.64−2.36Below flood stage823
35Jan 13, 20057.50−2.50Below flood stage692
36Sep 1, 19897.48−2.52Below flood stage708
37Apr 6, 19887.47−2.53Below flood stage759
38Mar 1, 20177.36−2.64Below flood stage797
39Aug 11, 19947.31−2.69Below flood stage569
40Jan 14, 19957.30−2.70Below flood stage567
41Apr 20, 20007.29−2.71Below flood stage633
42Aug 17, 19687.26−2.74Below flood stage648
43Apr 3, 19747.22−2.78Below flood stage696
44Mar 15, 19847.22−2.78Below flood stage670
45May 9, 20037.16−2.84Below flood stage600
46Sep 26, 19867.12−2.88Below flood stage636
47Sep 9, 19656.99−3.01Below flood stage576
48Jul 21, 19786.94−3.06Below flood stage575
49Aug 8, 19776.89−3.11Below flood stage560
50Aug 10, 20066.82−3.18Below flood stage559

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 (Western Ave)4.05.26 ft, May 17, 20200
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
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 WLSI2, 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.