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Kaskaskia River near Cowden

Highest listed crest 20.36 ftFlood stage 15.0 ft129 crests since 1971

The Kaskaskia River near Cowden crested above flood stage 89 times among the 129 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1971 to 2026. The highest, 20.36 ft on May 12, 2002, was minor flooding, 5.36 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Kaskaskia River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.36 ft
May 12, 2002; 25,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
89 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2026
16.17 ft, minor flooding
Location
Shelby County
Illinois

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kaskaskia River near Cowden
Flood stage (minor)15.089Jun 22, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

129 crests from 1971 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kaskaskia River near Cowden, 1971 to 2026 510152025ft Flood stage 15.0 ft Jul 11, 1971: 15.54 ft, minor flooding; 5,310 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1971: 15.83 ft, minor flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 17.82 ft, minor flooding; 7,240 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1974: 18.03 ft, minor flooding; 9,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1975: 17.77 ft, minor flooding; 8,710 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 15.39 ft, minor flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1977: 14.20 ft, below flood stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1978: 17.17 ft, minor flooding; 7,070 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1979: 18.97 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1980: 15.39 ft, minor flooding; 4,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1981: 12.86 ft, below flood stage; 3,840 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 9,220 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1982: 17.60 ft, minor flooding; 8,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 17.63 ft, minor flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 19.12 ft, minor flooding; 16,800 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1985: 18.50 ft, minor flooding; 12,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1987: 11.44 ft, below flood stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1988: 16.76 ft, minor flooding; 6,800 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1989: 15.15 ft, minor flooding; 5,170 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1990: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 7,800 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1990: 18.44 ft, minor flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1992: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1993: 18.53 ft, minor flooding; 8,820 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1994: 17.95 ft, minor flooding; 7,620 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1995: 17.57 ft, minor flooding; 7,010 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1996: 18.45 ft, minor flooding; 13,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1997: 18.18 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1998: 17.55 ft, minor flooding; 9,730 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1999: 18.61 ft, minor flooding; 14,500 cubic feet per secondJul 5, 2000: 18.23 ft, minor flooding; 10,400 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 2000: 18.52 ft, minor flooding; 12,800 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 20.36 ft, minor flooding; 25,300 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2003: 10.89 ft, below flood stage; 2,850 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2004: 18.10 ft, minor flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2005: 17.81 ft, minor flooding; 9,560 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2006: 16.08 ft, minor flooding; 5,740 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2007: 16.65 ft, minor flooding; 6,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2008: 17.62 ft, minor flooding; 8,420 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2008: 18.24 ft, minor flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 18.57 ft, minor flooding; 13,100 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2009: 17.82 ft, minor flooding; 9,400 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2011: 18.88 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2012: 13.23 ft, below flood stage; 3,910 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2013: 15.61 ft, minor flooding; 5,310 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2013: 15.33 ft, minor flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2013: 19.56 ft, minor flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 2013: 16.12 ft, minor flooding; 5,790 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2013: 16.37 ft, minor flooding; 6,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2014: 16.79 ft, minor flooding; 6,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2015: 16.85 ft, minor flooding; 6,790 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2015: 17.11 ft, minor flooding; 7,300 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2015: 16.27 ft, minor flooding; 5,990 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2015: 19.80 ft, minor flooding; 21,700 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2017: 18.05 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2017: 19.07 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 15.37 ft, minor flooding; 5,110 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 15.70 ft, minor flooding; 5,380 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2018: 15.83 ft, minor flooding; 5,490 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2018: 18.34 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJun 12, 2018: 17.30 ft, minor flooding; 7,810 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2018: 9.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,310 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2019: 16.19 ft, minor flooding; 5,880 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2019: 15.80 ft, minor flooding; 5,460 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2019: 17.17 ft, minor flooding; 7,460 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2019: 16.94 ft, minor flooding; 6,920 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2019: 15.18 ft, minor flooding; 4,950 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 17.11 ft, minor flooding; 7,300 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2019: 16.60 ft, minor flooding; 6,440 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2019: 17.28 ft, minor flooding; 7,760 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2019: 13.51 ft, below flood stage; 3,990 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2019: 13.05 ft, below flood stage; 3,750 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2019: 17.40 ft, minor flooding; 8,100 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2019: 15.14 ft, minor flooding; 4,920 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2019: 17.67 ft, minor flooding; 8,910 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2019: 10.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,550 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2019: 11.70 ft, below flood stage; 3,070 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 2019: 10.45 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 2019: 11.91 ft, below flood stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 2019: 13.63 ft, below flood stage; 4,050 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2019: 12.25 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2020: 20.28 ft, minor flooding; 24,700 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2020: 17.90 ft, minor flooding; 9,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2020: 16.06 ft, minor flooding; 5,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2020: 15.33 ft, minor flooding; 5,080 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2020: 17.43 ft, minor flooding; 8,190 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2020: 16.20 ft, minor flooding; 5,900 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 15.25 ft, minor flooding; 5,010 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2020: 12.19 ft, below flood stage; 3,320 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 2020: 12.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,360 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 2020: 19.51 ft, minor flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 2020: 11.78 ft, below flood stage; 3,120 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 2021: 12.08 ft, below flood stage; 3,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2021: 16.26 ft, minor flooding; 5,980 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2021: 17.07 ft, minor flooding; 7,190 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 2021: 14.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,730 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2021: 11.95 ft, below flood stage; 3,200 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2021: 14.86 ft, below flood stage; 4,730 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2021: 14.16 ft, below flood stage; 4,340 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2021: 13.79 ft, below flood stage; 4,140 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 2021: 16.47 ft, minor flooding; 6,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2022: 17.25 ft, minor flooding; 7,670 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 2022: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 8,410 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2022: 18.54 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2022: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2022: 10.22 ft, below flood stage; 2,390 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 2022: 14.96 ft, below flood stage; 4,790 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2022: 17.89 ft, minor flooding; 9,640 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2023: 9.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 2023: 10.31 ft, below flood stage; 2,420 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2023: 16.09 ft, minor flooding; 5,750 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2023: 17.08 ft, minor flooding; 7,220 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 2023: 12.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2023: 12.06 ft, below flood stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2024: 14.57 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 2024: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 2024: 13.83 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2024: 15.00 ft, minor flooding; 4,810 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2024: 16.30 ft, minor flooding; 6,030 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2025: 18.34 ft, minor flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2025: 10.17 ft, below flood stage; 2,390 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2025: 14.95 ft, below flood stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2026: 11.69 ft, below flood stage; 3,090 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2026: 14.03 ft, below flood stage; 4,270 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 2026: 18.05 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2026: 13.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,860 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2026: 14.94 ft, below flood stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 2026: 11.60 ft, below flood stage; 3,110 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2026: 10.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,830 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2026: 16.17 ft, minor flooding; 5,850 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.36 ft, May 12, 2002 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kaskaskia River near Cowden 1970s: 8 1980s: 8 1990s: 9 2000s: 11 2010s: 29 29 2020s: 24 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 129 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Kaskaskia River near Cowden
1May 12, 200220.36+5.36Minor25,300
2Jan 11, 202020.28+5.28Minor24,700
3Dec 28, 201519.80+4.80Minor21,700
4Apr 19, 201319.56+4.56Minor20,300
5Jul 31, 202019.51+4.51Minor20,000
6Feb 23, 198519.12+4.12Minor16,800
7May 4, 201719.07+4.07Minor16,500
8Apr 12, 197918.97+3.97Minor19,700
9Apr 26, 201118.88+3.88Minor17,000
10Jun 2, 199918.61+3.61Minor14,500
11Dec 28, 200818.57+3.57Minor13,100
12Mar 31, 202218.54+3.54Minor12,900
13Sep 23, 199318.53+3.53Minor8,820
14Oct 5, 200018.52+3.52Minor12,800
15Dec 11, 198518.50+3.50Minor12,500
16May 8, 199618.45+3.45Minor13,000
17Dec 30, 199018.44+3.44Minor12,000
18Apr 3, 201818.34+3.34Minor11,800
19Apr 5, 202518.34+3.34Minor11,800
20Mar 19, 200818.24+3.24Minor11,200
21Jul 5, 200018.23+3.23Minor10,400
22Feb 27, 199718.18+3.18Minor11,400
23Jan 5, 200418.10+3.10Minor10,500
24Apr 30, 201718.05+3.05Minor10,200
25Apr 28, 202618.05+3.05Minor10,200
26Feb 22, 197418.03+3.03Minor9,750
27Apr 29, 199417.95+2.95Minor7,620
28Feb 21, 198217.90+2.90Minor9,220
29Jan 18, 202017.90+2.90Minor9,660
30Aug 4, 202217.89+2.89Minor9,640
31Apr 22, 197317.82+2.82Minor7,240
32Dec 25, 200917.82+2.82Minor9,400
33Jan 5, 200517.81+2.81Minor9,560
34Feb 23, 197517.77+2.77Minor8,710
35Jun 22, 201917.67+2.67Minor8,910
36Feb 13, 198417.63+2.63Minor8,500
37Feb 6, 200817.62+2.62Minor8,420
38Dec 25, 198217.60+2.60Minor8,450
39Mar 7, 199517.57+2.57Minor7,010
40Mar 28, 199817.55+2.55Minor9,730
41Mar 7, 202217.50+2.50Minor8,410
42Mar 20, 202017.43+2.43Minor8,190
43May 22, 201917.40+2.40Minor8,100
44May 16, 199017.30+2.30Minor7,800
45Jun 12, 201817.30+2.30Minor7,810
46Apr 18, 201917.28+2.28Minor7,760
47Feb 17, 202217.25+2.25Minor7,670
48Mar 21, 197817.17+2.17Minor7,070
49Jan 23, 201917.17+2.17Minor7,460
50Jun 20, 201517.11+2.11Minor7,300

The worst floods along the Kaskaskia River

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

May 12, 2002: 20.36 ft here, minor flooding

  • VandaliaIL · May 8, 2002 · 28.27 ft · Major · its highest

January 11, 2020: 20.28 ft here, minor flooding

December 28, 2015: 19.80 ft here, minor flooding

  • New AthensIL · Jan 2, 2016 · 95.63 ft · Major · its highest
  • VandaliaIL · Dec 28, 2015 · 27.83 ft · Major

Gauges on the Kaskaskia River

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

Flood gauges on the Kaskaskia River
ShelbyvilleIL549.0558.15 ft, Jun 29, 19571
Cowden this gaugeIL15.020.36 ft, May 12, 20020
VandaliaIL18.028.27 ft, May 8, 200221
CarlyleIL16.533.69 ft, May 21, 19439
Carlyle Dam TailwaterIL423.5428.20 ft, Dec 15, 19660
New AthensIL79.095.63 ft, Jan 2, 201610

Other gauges in Shelby County

Flood gauges in Shelby County
Shelbyville549.0558.15 ft, Jun 29, 19571

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CWDI2, 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.