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Illinois River at Peoria

Highest listed crest 29.35 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft147 crests since 1887

The Illinois River at Peoria crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 147 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1887 to 2026. The highest, 29.35 ft on April 23, 2013, was major flooding, 11.35 feet above flood stage. 12 other gauges on the Illinois River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 9 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.35 ft
April 23, 2013
Flood stage
18.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
5
56th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
July 7, 2026
19.27 ft, minor flooding
Location
Peoria County
Near East Peoria (2.3 mi), Peoria (4.4 mi), Washington (6.7 mi)
Identifiers
NWS PIAI2
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Illinois River at Peoria
Action stage17.012Aug 20, 2026The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)18.077Jul 7, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.046May 22, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.05May 7, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

147 crests from 1887 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Illinois River at Peoria, 1887 to 2026 1015202530ft Flood stage 18.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Feb 19, 1887: 18.80 ft, minor floodingMay 9, 1892: 21.90 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1893: 19.60 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1897: 18.30 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1898: 19.30 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1900: 19.90 ft, minor floodingJul 22, 1902: 21.00 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1903: 18.50 ft, minor flooding; 45,100 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1904: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 1905: 17.40 ft, action stage; 39,100 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1906: 15.67 ft, below flood stage; 29,100 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1907: 20.40 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1908: 22.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 12, 1910: 17.60 ft, action stage; 31,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1911: 14.80 ft, below flood stage; 20,200 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1912: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 42,800 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1913: 22.45 ft, moderate flooding; 55,000 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1914: 15.55 ft, below flood stage; 22,900 cubic feet per secondAug 8, 1915: 18.60 ft, minor flooding; 35,800 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1916: 23.20 ft, moderate floodingJun 15, 1917: 18.35 ft, minor flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1918: 19.85 ft, minor flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1919: 25.35 ft, moderate flooding; 54,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1920: 23.15 ft, moderate flooding; 53,000 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1921: 16.45 ft, below flood stage; 25,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1922: 24.80 ft, moderate flooding; 56,700 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1923: 17.40 ft, action stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 1924: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 39,000 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1925: 16.50 ft, below flood stage; 24,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1926: 20.40 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1926: 25.05 ft, moderate flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1927: 21.10 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 1929: 22.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 25, 1930: 19.75 ft, minor flooding; 40,700 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 1931: 13.75 ft, below flood stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1932: 17.73 ft, action stage; 30,300 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1933: 25.60 ft, moderate flooding; 52,900 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1934: 11.87 ft, below flood stage; 14,600 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1935: 21.60 ft, minor flooding; 40,100 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1936: 19.95 ft, minor flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1937: 19.50 ft, minor flooding; 31,600 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1939: 19.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 1942: 20.90 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 1943: 28.80 ft, major floodingApr 27, 1944: 23.80 ft, moderate floodingMay 23, 1945: 20.00 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 1946: 20.60 ft, minor floodingMar 24, 1948: 22.50 ft, moderate floodingApr 29, 1950: 25.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1951: 20.90 ft, minor floodingMar 25, 1952: 18.50 ft, minor floodingMay 3, 1957: 19.70 ft, minor floodingJun 19, 1958: 19.45 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 1959: 18.76 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1960: 21.60 ft, minor floodingSep 29, 1961: 18.74 ft, minor floodingMar 26, 1962: 23.70 ft, moderate floodingApr 29, 1965: 19.40 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1966: 21.20 ft, minor floodingApr 7, 1967: 19.80 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 1968: 19.60 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1970: 25.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 27, 1973: 24.40 ft, moderate floodingMay 25, 1974: 24.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 23, 1979: 28.70 ft, major floodingMar 23, 1982: 27.10 ft, moderate floodingDec 9, 1982: 27.40 ft, moderate floodingApr 17, 1983: 25.70 ft, moderate floodingApr 27, 1983: 24.10 ft, moderate floodingMar 7, 1985: 28.40 ft, major floodingOct 9, 1986: 20.80 ft, minor floodingMar 16, 1990: 22.80 ft, moderate floodingDec 4, 1990: 21.10 ft, minor floodingApr 23, 1993: 23.40 ft, moderate floodingJul 29, 1993: 20.50 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 1995: 25.90 ft, moderate floodingJun 4, 1996: 22.70 ft, moderate floodingMar 3, 1997: 26.86 ft, moderate floodingMar 24, 1998: 22.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 14, 1998: 18.60 ft, minor floodingMay 13, 1998: 23.74 ft, moderate floodingJun 21, 1998: 18.02 ft, minor floodingJan 31, 1999: 20.12 ft, minor floodingApr 29, 1999: 20.32 ft, minor floodingMay 19, 1999: 18.52 ft, minor floodingJun 17, 1999: 18.14 ft, minor floodingMay 18, 2002: 25.25 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 2004: 18.50 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 2004: 19.20 ft, minor floodingDec 13, 2004: 18.78 ft, minor floodingJan 18, 2005: 24.36 ft, moderate floodingJan 15, 2008: 23.09 ft, moderate floodingFeb 11, 2008: 19.51 ft, minor floodingFeb 20, 2008: 21.64 ft, minor floodingSep 20, 2008: 27.06 ft, moderate floodingJan 2, 2009: 23.67 ft, moderate floodingMar 14, 2009: 27.94 ft, moderate floodingMay 3, 2009: 22.66 ft, moderate floodingMay 19, 2009: 25.49 ft, moderate flooding; 75,993 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 2009: 21.12 ft, minor floodingDec 31, 2009: 19.55 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2010: 20.06 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 2010: 18.01 ft, minor floodingJun 28, 2010: 22.89 ft, moderate floodingMar 10, 2011: 19.15 ft, minor floodingMay 1, 2011: 22.69 ft, moderate floodingJun 2, 2011: 22.04 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 2013: 18.86 ft, minor floodingApr 23, 2013: 29.35 ft, major floodingJun 5, 2013: 22.66 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 2014: 19.30 ft, minor floodingJul 5, 2014: 19.38 ft, minor flooding; 42,749 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2015: 27.09 ft, moderate floodingJan 3, 2016: 26.49 ft, moderate floodingSep 1, 2016: 18.02 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 2017: 18.09 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 2017: 21.30 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2017: 23.48 ft, moderate floodingFeb 27, 2018: 25.37 ft, moderate floodingJun 27, 2018: 18.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 2019: 19.81 ft, minor floodingFeb 27, 2019: 19.27 ft, minor floodingMar 18, 2019: 19.09 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 2019: 17.66 ft, action stageApr 19, 2019: 17.26 ft, action stageMay 7, 2019: 28.00 ft, major floodingJun 2, 2019: 26.87 ft, moderate floodingJul 6, 2019: 19.69 ft, minor floodingOct 2, 2019: 20.42 ft, minor floodingNov 4, 2019: 20.12 ft, minor floodingJan 19, 2020: 18.86 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 2020: 27.91 ft, moderate floodingJul 3, 2021: 20.02 ft, minor floodingNov 2, 2021: 19.39 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 2022: 18.52 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 2022: 19.21 ft, minor floodingMay 11, 2022: 17.16 ft, action stageMar 10, 2023: 17.48 ft, action stage; 34,966 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2023: 17.15 ft, action stage; 34,409 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 2024: 21.66 ft, minor flooding; 53,161 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2024: 18.83 ft, minor flooding; 40,403 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2024: 19.09 ft, minor flooding; 41,504 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2026: 17.88 ft, action stageApr 23, 2026: 17.94 ft, action stageJun 25, 2026: 20.66 ft, minor floodingJul 7, 2026: 19.27 ft, minor floodingAug 20, 2026: 17.28 ft, action stage Highest, 29.35 ft, Apr 23, 2013 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Illinois River at Peoria 1880s: 1 1890s: 4 1900s: 6 1910s: 7 1920s: 7 1930s: 6 1940s: 6 1950s: 6 1960s: 7 1970s: 4 1980s: 6 1990s: 15 2000s: 15 2010s: 27 27 2020s: 11 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 147 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Illinois River at Peoria
1Apr 23, 201329.35+11.35Major—
2May 23, 194328.80+10.80Major—
3Mar 23, 197928.70+10.70Major—
4Mar 7, 198528.40+10.40Major—
5May 7, 201928.00+10.00Major—
6Mar 14, 200927.94+9.94Moderate—
7May 22, 202027.91+9.91Moderate—
8Dec 9, 198227.40+9.40Moderate—
9Mar 23, 198227.10+9.10Moderate—
10Jun 30, 201527.09+9.09Moderate—
11Sep 20, 200827.06+9.06Moderate—
12Jun 2, 201926.87+8.87Moderate—
13Mar 3, 199726.86+8.86Moderate—
14Jan 3, 201626.49+8.49Moderate—
15May 19, 197025.90+7.90Moderate—
16May 30, 199525.90+7.90Moderate—
17Apr 17, 198325.70+7.70Moderate—
18May 18, 193325.60+7.60Moderate52,900
19May 19, 200925.49+7.49Moderate75,993
20Feb 27, 201825.37+7.37Moderate—
21Mar 23, 191925.35+7.35Moderate54,000
22May 18, 200225.25+7.25Moderate—
23Oct 9, 192625.05+7.05Moderate58,300
24Apr 29, 195025.00+7.00Moderate—
25Apr 16, 192224.80+6.80Moderate56,700
26May 25, 197424.50+6.50Moderate—
27Apr 27, 197324.40+6.40Moderate—
28Jan 18, 200524.36+6.36Moderate—
29Apr 27, 198324.10+6.10Moderate—
30Apr 27, 194423.80+5.80Moderate—
31May 13, 199823.74+5.74Moderate—
32Mar 26, 196223.70+5.70Moderate—
33Jan 2, 200923.67+5.67Moderate—
34May 5, 201723.48+5.48Moderate—
35Apr 23, 199323.40+5.40Moderate—
36Jan 25, 191623.20+5.20Moderate—
37Apr 25, 192023.15+5.15Moderate53,000
38Jan 15, 200823.09+5.09Moderate—
39Mar 28, 190423.00+5.00Moderate—
40Jun 28, 201022.89+4.89Moderate—
41Mar 22, 192922.80+4.80Moderate—
42Mar 16, 199022.80+4.80Moderate—
43Jun 4, 199622.70+4.70Moderate—
44May 1, 201122.69+4.69Moderate—
45May 3, 200922.66+4.66Moderate—
46Jun 5, 201322.66+4.66Moderate—
47Mar 24, 194822.50+4.50Moderate—
48Mar 30, 191322.45+4.45Moderate55,000
49Mar 10, 190822.20+4.20Moderate—
50Mar 24, 199822.20+4.20Moderate—

The worst floods along the Illinois River

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

April 23, 2013: 29.35 ft here, major flooding

  • OttawaIL · Apr 19, 2013 · 473.72 ft · Major · its highest
  • Starved Rock Lock (tailwater)IL · Apr 19, 2013 · 467.81 ft · Major · its highest
  • Peoria Lock and DamIL · Apr 23, 2013 · 456.57 ft · Major · its highest
  • LaGrange Lock and DamIL · Apr 27, 2013 · 34.50 ft · Major
  • La SalleIL · Apr 20, 2013 · 34.44 ft · Major · its highest
  • HenryIL · Apr 22, 2013 · 32.94 ft · Major · its highest
  • BeardstownIL · Apr 27, 2013 · 29.81 ft · Major · its highest
  • MeredosiaIL · Apr 27, 2013 · 28.69 ft · Major
  • HavanaIL · Apr 25, 2013 · 27.78 ft · Major · its highest
  • Valley CityIL · Apr 27, 2013 · 26.63 ft · Major

May 23, 1943: 28.80 ft here, major flooding

March 23, 1979: 28.70 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Illinois River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Illinois River
BeardstownIL14.029.81 ft, Apr 27, 201310
HardinIL25.042.40 ft, Aug 3, 199320
LaGrange Lock and DamIL23.034.66 ft, Jul 2, 201517
Marseilles Lock (tailwater)IL467.0476.72 ft, Apr 19, 20130
MeredosiaIL17.028.86 ft, Jul 2, 201523
MorrisIL16.024.91 ft, Apr 19, 201312
OttawaIL463.0473.72 ft, Apr 19, 20134
Peoria this gaugeIL18.029.35 ft, Apr 23, 20135
Peoria Lock and DamIL447.0456.57 ft, Apr 23, 20135
Starved Rock Lock (tailwater)IL450.0467.81 ft, Apr 19, 20133
Valley CityIL14.027.00 ft, May 26, 194317
HavanaIL14.027.78 ft, Apr 25, 201325
HenryIL23.032.94 ft, Apr 22, 20137
La SalleIL20.034.44 ft, Apr 20, 20139

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PIAI2, 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.