North Branch Chicago River at Chicago (Pulaski Rd)

Highest listed crest 22.50 ftFlood stage 18.0 ft3 crests since 1987

The North Branch Chicago River at Chicago (Pulaski Rd) crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 3 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1987 to 2020. The highest, 22.50 ft on August 14, 1987, was major flooding, 4.50 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the North Branch Chicago River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 22.50 ft; August 14, 1987
Flood stage: 18.0 ft; Major flooding from 21.0 ft
Crests at major: 1; 101st of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest: August 14, 1987; 22.50 ft, major flooding
Location: Cook County; Near Lincolnwood (2.1 mi), Skokie (4.3 mi), Norridge (4.9 mi)
Identifiers: NWS NBPI2; USGS 05536085

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, North Branch Chicago River at Chicago (Pulaski Rd)

Action stage	16.5	2	May 18, 2020	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	18.0	0	—	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	20.0	0	—	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	21.0	1	Aug 14, 1987	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

3 crests from 1987 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
6 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 20.50 ft on May 29, 1996; 21.50 ft on Feb 21, 1997; 22.90 ft on Sep 14, 2008; 21.50 ft on Jun 19, 2009; 22.00 ft on Jul 24, 2010; 23.50 ft on Apr 18, 2013.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, North Branch Chicago River at Chicago (Pulaski Rd)

1	Aug 14, 1987	22.50	+4.50	Major	—
2	May 18, 2020	17.90	−0.10	Action	2,130
3	May 22, 2018	17.03	−0.97	Action	1,250

The worst floods along the North Branch Chicago River

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

August 14, 1987: 22.50 ft here, major flooding

DeerfieldIL · Aug 14, 1987 · 11.52 ft · Moderate
NilesIL · Aug 14, 1987 · 11.35 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the North Branch Chicago River

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

Flood gauges on the North Branch Chicago River

Deerfield	IL	9.5	12.75 ft, Jul 13, 2017	0
Niles	IL	10.0	12.13 ft, Sep 14, 2008	2
Chicago (Pulaski Rd) this gauge	IL	18.0	22.50 ft, Aug 14, 1987	1
Chicago (Grand Ave)	IL	3.0	5.70 ft, Oct 10, 1954	3

Other gauges in Cook County

Flood gauges in Cook County

Bellwood	9.0	13.57 ft, Jul 24, 2010	4
Wheeling	5.0	8.46 ft, Jun 26, 2013	6
Flossmoor	9.0	13.08 ft, Apr 17, 2006	0
Markham	10.0	12.00 ft, Oct 11, 1954	2
Chicago (Columbus Dr)	3.0	5.50 ft, Oct 10, 1954	2
Chicago (Western Ave)	4.0	5.26 ft, May 17, 2020	0
Chicago Heights	10.0	12.87 ft, Sep 15, 2008	0
Des Plaines (Algonquin Road)	13.0	21.00 ft, Sep 14, 2008	2
Lyons	18.0	22.87 ft, Apr 18, 2013	2
River Forest	16.0	18.98 ft, Apr 19, 2013	1
Riverside	7.5	11.28 ft, Apr 18, 2013	7
Des Plaines	15.0	20.92 ft, Apr 19, 2013	5
Lemont	10.0	13.24 ft, May 18, 2020	0
Willow Springs	10.0	10.57 ft, Apr 18, 2013	0
Lake Michigan at Calumet Harbor	5.0	6.07 ft, Aug 11, 2020	0
Lake Michigan at Chicago (Chicago Lock)	4.0	5.98 ft, Apr 29, 2020	0
Lansing	7.0	10.18 ft, Oct 11, 1954	0
South Holland	16.0	20.50 ft, Nov 28, 1990	5
Lemont	6.0	11.10 ft, Jul 18, 1996	1
Mount Prospect	5.0	8.08 ft, Aug 14, 1987	2
Oak Forest	6.0	9.50 ft, Apr 5, 1947	2
Midlothian	8.5	9.98 ft, Feb 2, 2016	0
Chicago (Grand Ave)	3.0	5.70 ft, Oct 10, 1954	3
Niles	10.0	12.13 ft, Sep 14, 2008	2
Elgin	5.5	7.69 ft, Sep 13, 2008	0
Elk Grove Village	17.0	20.80 ft, May 18, 2020	0
Rolling Meadows	8.5	14.03 ft, Aug 14, 1987	0
Western Springs	7.5	10.65 ft, Apr 18, 2013	0
Worth	31.0	36.50 ft, Oct 11, 1954	2
Glenwood	8.5	11.14 ft, Jul 13, 1957	0
Thornton	9.0	17.06 ft, Jun 14, 1981	6
Palos Park	9.0	10.30 ft, Oct 10, 1954	0
Des Plaines	9.0	15.09 ft, Jun 10, 1967	7
Northbrook	7.0	10.10 ft, Aug 14, 1987	7

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge NBPI2, 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.