Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Pecatonica River at Freeport

Highest listed crest 17.27 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft90 crests since 1935

The Pecatonica River at Freeport crested at major flood stage 14 times among the 90 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1935 to 2023. The highest, 17.27 ft on March 17, 2019, was major flooding, 4.27 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Pecatonica River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.27 ft
March 17, 2019; 16,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
14
18th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
March 6, 2023
13.12 ft, minor flooding
Location
Stephenson County
Near Freeport (1.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Pecatonica River at Freeport
Action stage11.520Dec 16, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.016Mar 6, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.024Oct 9, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.014Mar 17, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

90 crests from 1935 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Pecatonica River at Freeport, 1935 to 2023 81012141618ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Mar 9, 1935: 12.49 ft, action stage; 4,600 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1936: 11.99 ft, action stage; 4,190 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1937: 16.98 ft, major flooding; 15,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1938: 16.33 ft, major flooding; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1939: 11.40 ft, below flood stage; 3,350 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1940: 10.72 ft, below flood stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1941: 12.85 ft, action stage; 4,840 cubic feet per secondAug 3, 1942: 13.76 ft, minor flooding; 5,820 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1943: 14.13 ft, moderate flooding; 7,890 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1944: 13.75 ft, minor flooding; 7,110 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1945: 12.67 ft, action stage; 5,170 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 15.46 ft, moderate flooding; 10,500 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1947: 12.30 ft, action stage; 4,570 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1948: 16.41 ft, major flooding; 13,700 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1949: 14.65 ft, moderate flooding; 8,640 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1950: 14.51 ft, moderate flooding; 8,450 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1951: 14.59 ft, moderate flooding; 7,820 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1952: 14.13 ft, moderate flooding; 7,220 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1953: 15.04 ft, moderate flooding; 8,820 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1954: 11.21 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1955: 13.23 ft, minor flooding; 5,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1956: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1957: 10.13 ft, below flood stage; 2,600 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1958: 12.21 ft, action stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1959: 16.90 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1960: 16.35 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1961: 12.94 ft, action stage; 4,480 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1962: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 5,400 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1963: 14.68 ft, moderate flooding; 7,600 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1964: 9.02 ft, below flood stage; 1,910 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1965: 14.25 ft, moderate flooding; 6,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 14.23 ft, moderate flooding; 6,220 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1967: 13.29 ft, minor flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondNov 4, 1967: 9.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1968: 9.90 ft, below flood stageJul 3, 1969: 17.16 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1970: 9.96 ft, below flood stage; 2,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1971: 16.33 ft, major flooding; 5,600 cubic feet per secondSep 15, 1972: 13.38 ft, minor flooding; 4,160 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1972: 14.41 ft, moderate flooding; 6,070 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1974: 14.25 ft, moderate floodingMar 8, 1974: 13.89 ft, minor flooding; 5,370 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1975: 17.13 ft, major flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1976: 12.60 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1977: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,180 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1978: 12.73 ft, action stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1979: 14.06 ft, moderate flooding; 6,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1980: 14.11 ft, moderate floodingSep 8, 1981: 12.84 ft, action stage; 4,040 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1982: 14.63 ft, moderate flooding; 6,510 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1982: 12.53 ft, action stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1984: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1985: 15.64 ft, moderate flooding; 9,200 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1986: 13.25 ft, minor flooding; 4,260 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1987: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1988: 11.54 ft, action stage; 2,920 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1989: 13.08 ft, minor flooding; 4,010 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1990: 16.24 ft, major flooding; 9,480 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1991: 12.54 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 1991: 10.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1993: 16.61 ft, major flooding; 12,200 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1995: 11.73 ft, action stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1996: 14.56 ft, moderate flooding; 6,620 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1997: 16.40 ft, major flooding; 10,900 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1998: 13.04 ft, minor flooding; 4,170 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1999: 13.96 ft, minor flooding; 5,550 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 2000: 15.27 ft, moderate flooding; 7,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2001: 11.57 ft, action stage; 2,690 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 2002: 13.97 ft, minor flooding; 5,560 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2003: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 1,970 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2004: 14.08 ft, moderate flooding; 4,690 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2005: 14.34 ft, moderate flooding; 4,670 cubic feet per secondApr 19, 2006: 10.94 ft, below flood stage; 2,330 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2007: 13.63 ft, minor flooding; 5,020 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2008: 15.71 ft, moderate flooding; 8,210 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2009: 13.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,450 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2010: 13.28 ft, minor flooding; 5,050 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2010: 16.12 ft, major flooding; 4,910 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2011: 12.97 ft, action stage; 3,380 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2011: 8.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,080 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2013: 14.71 ft, moderate flooding; 6,910 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2014: 12.70 ft, action stage; 3,820 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2015: 12.63 ft, action stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 2015: 11.99 ft, action stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondDec 16, 2015: 12.18 ft, action stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2017: 15.84 ft, moderate flooding; 5,360 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2018: 16.14 ft, major flooding; 9,570 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2019: 17.27 ft, major flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 2019: 15.61 ft, moderate flooding; 8,520 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2023: 13.12 ft, minor flooding; 3,077 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.27 ft, Mar 17, 2019 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Pecatonica River at Freeport 1930s: 2 1940s: 6 1950s: 6 1960s: 7 7 1970s: 7 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 2000s: 7 2010s: 7 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 23 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 18.45 ft on Sep 16, 1914; 17.27 ft on Feb 27, 1915; 19.40 ft on Mar 28, 1916; 16.09 ft on Mar 16, 1917; 16.38 ft on Feb 15, 1918; 17.60 ft on Mar 16, 1919; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 90 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Pecatonica River at Freeport
1Mar 17, 201917.27+4.27Major16,300
2Jul 3, 196917.16+4.16Major11,000
3Mar 25, 197517.13+4.13Major13,900
4Mar 8, 193716.98+3.98Major15,700
5Apr 5, 195916.90+3.90Major12,000
6Jul 11, 199316.61+3.61Major12,200
7Mar 1, 194816.41+3.41Major13,700
8Feb 22, 199716.40+3.40Major10,900
9Apr 2, 196016.35+3.35Major11,000
10Feb 9, 193816.33+3.33Major12,300
11Feb 20, 197116.33+3.33Major5,600
12Jul 4, 199016.24+3.24Major9,480
13Feb 25, 201816.14+3.14Major9,570
14Jul 24, 201016.12+3.12Major4,910
15Jul 24, 201715.84+2.84Moderate5,360
16Jun 15, 200815.71+2.71Moderate8,210
17Feb 27, 198515.64+2.64Moderate9,200
18Oct 9, 201915.61+2.61Moderate8,520
19Jan 9, 194615.46+2.46Moderate10,500
20Jun 5, 200015.27+2.27Moderate7,390
21Feb 24, 195315.04+2.04Moderate8,820
22Mar 15, 201314.71+1.71Moderate6,910
23Mar 21, 196314.68+1.68Moderate7,600
24Mar 9, 194914.65+1.65Moderate8,640
25Mar 20, 198214.63+1.63Moderate6,510
26Jul 12, 195114.59+1.59Moderate7,820
27Jul 19, 199614.56+1.56Moderate6,620
28Jul 22, 195014.51+1.51Moderate8,450
29Dec 31, 197214.41+1.41Moderate6,070
30Feb 15, 200514.34+1.34Moderate4,670
31Mar 6, 196514.25+1.25Moderate6,700
32Jan 31, 197414.25+1.25Moderate—
33Feb 14, 196614.23+1.23Moderate6,220
34Mar 16, 194314.13+1.13Moderate7,890
35Mar 14, 195214.13+1.13Moderate7,220
36Mar 20, 198014.11+1.11Moderate—
37May 29, 200414.08+1.08Moderate4,690
38Mar 24, 197914.06+1.06Moderate6,000
39Aug 23, 200213.97+0.97Minor5,560
40May 22, 199913.96+0.96Minor5,550
41Mar 13, 200913.90+0.90Minor5,450
42Mar 8, 197413.89+0.89Minor5,370
43Aug 3, 194213.76+0.76Minor5,820
44Feb 27, 194413.75+0.75Minor7,110
45Aug 31, 200713.63+0.63Minor5,020
46Mar 30, 196213.55+0.55Minor5,400
47Sep 15, 197213.38+0.38Minor4,160
48Mar 29, 196713.29+0.29Minor4,800
49Mar 17, 201013.28+0.28Minor5,050
50Mar 25, 198613.25+0.25Minor4,260

The worst floods along the Pecatonica River

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

March 17, 2019: 17.27 ft here, major flooding

  • MartintownWI · Mar 16, 2019 · 22.41 ft · Major · its highest
  • DarlingtonWI · Mar 14, 2019 · 17.60 ft · Major
  • ShirlandIL · Mar 17, 2019 · 16.46 ft · Major
  • BlanchardvilleWI · Mar 15, 2019 · 16.34 ft · Major

July 3, 1969: 17.16 ft here, major flooding

March 25, 1975: 17.13 ft here, major flooding

  • ShirlandIL · Mar 25, 1975 · 18.08 ft · Major · its highest
  • MartintownWI · Mar 24, 1975 · 20.57 ft · Moderate
  • DarlingtonWI · Mar 22, 1975 · 15.64 ft · Moderate
  • BlanchardvilleWI · Mar 22, 1975 · 13.65 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Pecatonica River

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

Flood gauges on the Pecatonica River
DarlingtonWI13.520.71 ft, Jul 16, 195014
BlanchardvilleWI11.016.54 ft, Jul 6, 19933
MartintownWI13.522.41 ft, Mar 16, 20192
Freeport this gaugeIL13.017.27 ft, Mar 17, 201914
ShirlandIL12.018.08 ft, Mar 25, 197511

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FEEI2, 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.