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Kankakee River at Momence

Highest listed crest 10.51 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft132 crests since 1916

The Kankakee River at Momence crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 132 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1916 to 2020. The highest, 10.51 ft on March 6, 1979, was major flooding, 5.51 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Kankakee River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.51 ft
March 6, 1979; 16,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 9.0 ft
Crests at major
2
82nd of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
May 18, 2020
6.87 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Kankakee County
Near Bradley (9.3 mi), Kankakee (10.9 mi), Bourbonnais (11.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kankakee River at Momence
Action stage4.520Dec 15, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.058Apr 30, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.537May 18, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage9.02Mar 6, 1979Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

132 crests from 1916 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kankakee River at Momence, 1916 to 2020 4681012ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 9.0 ft Jan 21, 1916: 8.60 ft, moderate flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1917: 7.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 1917: 4.56 ft, action stage; 4,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1918: 5.70 ft, minor floodingFeb 25, 1918: 5.15 ft, minor flooding; 6,300 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1919: 8.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1919: 5.70 ft, minor flooding; 7,340 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1919: 5.50 ft, minor floodingApr 22, 1920: 5.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,940 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1920: 6.20 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1922: 6.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 11, 1922: 6.63 ft, moderate flooding; 9,970 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1923: 6.20 ft, minor floodingJan 6, 1924: 7.90 ft, moderate floodingMar 30, 1924: 5.60 ft, minor flooding; 6,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1925: 6.10 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1925: 4.75 ft, action stage; 4,430 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1926: 6.06 ft, minor flooding; 8,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1927: 6.77 ft, moderate floodingApr 20, 1927: 5.82 ft, minor flooding; 7,210 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1927: 6.32 ft, minor flooding; 8,890 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1928: 8.90 ft, moderate floodingJan 24, 1929: 8.06 ft, moderate flooding; 9,650 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1930: 9.09 ft, major floodingMay 12, 1931: 4.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1932: 5.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,000 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1932: 7.12 ft, moderate floodingMay 14, 1933: 5.90 ft, minor flooding; 6,550 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1934: 6.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1934: 4.37 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1935: 5.81 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1935: 5.36 ft, minor flooding; 4,910 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1936: 7.66 ft, moderate floodingMay 1, 1937: 5.28 ft, minor flooding; 4,630 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1938: 7.56 ft, moderate floodingApr 10, 1938: 5.37 ft, minor flooding; 5,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1939: 4.81 ft, action stageApr 13, 1939: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 6,060 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1942: 5.58 ft, minor floodingFeb 10, 1942: 4.64 ft, action stage; 6,310 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1943: 5.57 ft, minor flooding; 8,450 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1944: 4.91 ft, action stage; 6,950 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1946: 4.07 ft, below flood stage; 5,460 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1946: 5.41 ft, minor floodingApr 30, 1947: 4.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1948: 6.47 ft, minor floodingMay 15, 1948: 4.47 ft, below flood stage; 6,260 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1950: 6.06 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1951: 8.06 ft, moderate flooding; 8,400 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1951: 7.44 ft, moderate floodingJun 14, 1952: 4.83 ft, action stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1955: 4.29 ft, below flood stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1955: 5.76 ft, minor floodingDec 14, 1955: 4.73 ft, action stageMay 11, 1956: 4.06 ft, below flood stage; 5,460 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1957: 4.99 ft, action stage; 6,960 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1958: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1959: 8.82 ft, moderate floodingFeb 11, 1960: 4.57 ft, action stage; 6,520 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1961: 4.74 ft, action stage; 6,740 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1962: 6.71 ft, moderate floodingMar 22, 1962: 4.87 ft, action stage; 7,180 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1963: 7.09 ft, moderate flooding; 6,500 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1965: 8.23 ft, moderate floodingApr 26, 1965: 4.20 ft, below flood stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1966: 6.25 ft, minor floodingMay 12, 1966: 4.70 ft, action stage; 7,310 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1967: 4.80 ft, action stage; 7,540 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1968: 7.04 ft, moderate floodingFeb 2, 1968: 5.10 ft, minor flooding; 8,240 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1969: 6.78 ft, moderate floodingMay 15, 1970: 5.55 ft, minor flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1972: 7.73 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1972: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,490 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1972: 5.25 ft, minor flooding; 8,380 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1974: 7.99 ft, moderate floodingMay 22, 1974: 6.05 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1975: 5.08 ft, minor flooding; 8,440 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 6.44 ft, minor flooding; 11,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1977: 7.12 ft, moderate floodingJan 2, 1978: 6.25 ft, minor floodingApr 6, 1978: 5.12 ft, minor flooding; 7,760 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1979: 10.51 ft, major flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1980: 5.19 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 1980: 6.81 ft, moderate floodingJun 16, 1981: 5.91 ft, minor flooding; 9,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1982: 7.25 ft, moderate floodingMar 20, 1982: 6.03 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1983: 5.94 ft, minor flooding; 9,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 7.96 ft, moderate flooding; 7,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 5.89 ft, minor flooding; 9,450 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1985: 5.65 ft, minor flooding; 9,080 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1985: 7.62 ft, moderate floodingOct 4, 1986: 4.26 ft, below flood stage; 5,780 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1987: 4.28 ft, below flood stageFeb 11, 1988: 8.08 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1988: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1989: 6.00 ft, minor floodingJun 30, 1989: 5.25 ft, minor flooding; 8,080 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1990: 4.78 ft, action stage; 7,050 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 6.17 ft, minor flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1992: 4.62 ft, action stageJan 5, 1993: 5.68 ft, minor flooding; 9,160 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1993: 4.98 ft, action stage; 8,050 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 1994: 6.57 ft, moderate floodingFeb 12, 1994: 6.79 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1995: 4.75 ft, action stage; 7,470 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1996: 5.80 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1997: 5.81 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1998: 5.91 ft, minor flooding; 9,990 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 5.29 ft, minor flooding; 8,510 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 2000: 4.43 ft, below flood stage; 6,380 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2001: 5.16 ft, minor flooding; 8,310 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 5.85 ft, minor flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 2003: 4.59 ft, action stage; 7,110 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 6.19 ft, minor flooding; 10,100 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2007: 5.99 ft, minor flooding; 9,720 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 2008: 6.98 ft, moderate flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2009: 7.07 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2009: 4.50 ft, action stage; 6,770 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2011: 5.55 ft, minor flooding; 8,830 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2011: 4.78 ft, action stage; 7,300 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2015: 7.09 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 2017: 5.19 ft, minor flooding; 8,110 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 2017: 5.46 ft, minor floodingFeb 21, 2018: 7.19 ft, moderate flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 2019: 6.79 ft, moderate floodingMay 1, 2019: 6.28 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2019: 5.71 ft, minor flooding; 9,150 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 2020: 5.52 ft, minor flooding; 8,770 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 5.07 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 6.87 ft, moderate flooding; 11,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.51 ft, Mar 6, 1979 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kankakee River at Momence 1910s: 7 1920s: 14 14 1930s: 11 1940s: 4 1950s: 5 1960s: 7 1970s: 11 1980s: 13 1990s: 8 2000s: 6 2010s: 8 2020s: 3 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 132 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Kankakee River at Momence
1Mar 6, 197910.51+5.51Major16,000
2Jan 25, 19309.09+4.09Major—
3Jan 4, 19198.90+3.90Moderate—
4Jan 4, 19288.90+3.90Moderate—
5Feb 24, 19598.82+3.82Moderate—
6Jan 21, 19168.60+3.60Moderate8,500
7Jan 30, 19658.23+3.23Moderate—
8Feb 11, 19888.08+3.08Moderate—
9Jan 24, 19298.06+3.06Moderate9,650
10Feb 19, 19518.06+3.06Moderate8,400
11Jan 3, 19747.99+2.99Moderate—
12Feb 13, 19847.96+2.96Moderate7,200
13Jan 6, 19247.90+2.90Moderate—
14Jan 28, 19727.73+2.73Moderate—
15Feb 25, 19367.66+2.66Moderate—
16Dec 22, 19857.62+2.62Moderate—
17Jan 14, 19177.60+2.60Moderate—
18Jan 29, 19387.56+2.56Moderate—
19Dec 18, 19517.44+2.44Moderate—
20Feb 24, 19827.25+2.25Moderate—
21Feb 21, 20187.19+2.19Moderate12,300
22Dec 24, 19327.12+2.12Moderate—
23Feb 12, 19777.12+2.12Moderate—
24Mar 9, 19637.09+2.09Moderate6,500
25Jun 27, 20157.09+2.09Moderate—
26Mar 11, 20097.07+2.07Moderate12,000
27Jan 4, 19687.04+2.04Moderate—
28Sep 15, 20086.98+1.98Moderate11,800
29May 18, 20206.87+1.87Moderate11,600
30Dec 28, 19806.81+1.81Moderate—
31Jan 22, 19226.80+1.80Moderate—
32Feb 1, 19346.80+1.80Moderate—
33Feb 12, 19946.79+1.79Moderate—
34Jan 27, 20196.79+1.79Moderate—
35Jan 23, 19696.78+1.78Moderate—
36Feb 1, 19276.77+1.77Moderate—
37Jan 10, 19626.71+1.71Moderate—
38Apr 11, 19226.63+1.63Moderate9,970
39Jan 14, 19946.57+1.57Moderate—
40Feb 24, 19486.47+1.47Minor—
41Mar 5, 19766.44+1.44Minor11,900
42Dec 15, 19276.32+1.32Minor8,890
43May 1, 20196.28+1.28Minor10,500
44Jan 28, 19666.25+1.25Minor—
45Jan 2, 19786.25+1.25Minor—
46Dec 27, 19206.20+1.20Minor—
47Feb 15, 19236.20+1.20Minor—
48Jan 13, 20056.19+1.19Minor10,100
49Dec 30, 19906.17+1.17Minor10,600
50Feb 8, 19256.10+1.10Minor—

The worst floods along the Kankakee River

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

March 6, 1979: 10.51 ft here, major flooding

  • WilmingtonIL · Mar 8, 1979 · 12.07 ft · Major
  • DavisIN · Mar 7, 1979 · 12.33 ft · Moderate
  • Dunns BridgeIN · Mar 11, 1979 · 12.20 ft · Moderate
  • ShelbyIN · Mar 5, 1979 · 11.60 ft · Moderate

January 4, 1928: 8.90 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ShelbyIN · Dec 28, 1927 · 11.40 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Kankakee River

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

Flood gauges on the Kankakee River
DavisIN10.013.80 ft, Mar 11, 20099
Dunns BridgeIN10.013.65 ft, Feb 26, 20186
KoutsIN11.014.52 ft, Mar 24, 19823
ShelbyIN10.513.04 ft, Sep 18, 20084
Momence this gaugeIL5.010.51 ft, Mar 6, 19792
WilmingtonIL6.516.70 ft, Feb 5, 188317
LorenzoIL508.0508.54 ft, May 18, 20200

Other gauges in Kankakee County

Flood gauges in Kankakee County
Chebanse16.021.68 ft, Mar 7, 19793

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MOMI2, 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.