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Poplar Creek at Elgin

Highest listed crest 7.69 ftFlood stage 5.5 ft23 crests since 1967

The Poplar Creek at Elgin crested above flood stage 12 times among the 23 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1967 to 2020. The highest, 7.69 ft on September 13, 2008, was moderate flooding, 2.19 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
7.69 ft
September 13, 2008; 1,560 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
5.5 ft
Major flooding from 8.0 ft
Crests at major
0
12 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 15, 2020
6.61 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Cook County
Near Elgin (3.7 mi), South Elgin (3.9 mi), Streamwood (4.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Poplar Creek at Elgin
Action stage5.010May 31, 2018The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.57Apr 30, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage6.55May 15, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage8.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

23 crests from 1967 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Poplar Creek at Elgin, 1967 to 2020 45678ft Flood stage 5.5 ftMajor 8.0 ft Jun 10, 1967: 5.29 ft, action stage; 797 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 5.45 ft, action stage; 896 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1982: 5.67 ft, minor flooding; 761 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 5.08 ft, action stage; 633 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1985: 5.48 ft, action stage; 719 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1987: 5.09 ft, action stage; 625 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1989: 5.79 ft, minor flooding; 700 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 1990: 5.27 ft, action stage; 669 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1993: 5.39 ft, action stage; 691 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1994: 5.74 ft, minor flooding; 779 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 6.78 ft, moderate flooding; 1,180 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 6.13 ft, minor flooding; 882 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 5.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,120 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2008: 7.69 ft, moderate flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 6.55 ft, moderate flooding; 1,170 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2010: 5.89 ft, minor flooding; 864 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2011: 5.12 ft, action stage; 634 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 7.42 ft, moderate flooding; 1,430 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2015: 4.94 ft, below flood stage; 784 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 5.03 ft, action stage; 748 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2018: 5.37 ft, action stage; 837 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 5.56 ft, minor flooding; 924 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2020: 6.61 ft, moderate flooding; 1,220 cubic feet per second Highest, 7.69 ft, Sep 13, 2008 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Poplar Creek at Elgin 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 3 3 2000s: 3 2010s: 2 2020s: 2 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Poplar Creek at Elgin
1Sep 13, 20087.69+2.19Moderate1,560
2Apr 18, 20137.42+1.92Moderate1,430
3Feb 21, 19976.78+1.28Moderate1,180
4May 15, 20206.61+1.11Moderate1,220
5Dec 28, 20086.55+1.05Moderate1,170
6Apr 23, 19996.13+0.63Minor882
7Aug 24, 20075.90+0.40Minor1,120
8May 13, 20105.89+0.39Minor864
9Aug 5, 19895.79+0.29Minor700
10Feb 20, 19945.74+0.24Minor779
11Dec 3, 19825.67+0.17Minor761
12Apr 30, 20205.56+0.06Minor924
13Nov 20, 19855.48−0.02Action719
14Apr 22, 19735.45−0.05Action896
15Jul 19, 19935.39−0.11Action691
16May 31, 20185.37−0.13Action837
17Jun 10, 19675.29−0.21Action797
18Aug 21, 19905.27−0.23Action669
19May 29, 20115.12−0.38Action634
20Aug 27, 19875.09−0.41Action625
21Mar 4, 19855.08−0.42Action633
22Feb 21, 20185.03−0.47Action748
23Jun 16, 20154.94−0.56Below flood stage784

Other gauges in Cook County

Flood gauges in Cook County
Bellwood9.013.57 ft, Jul 24, 20104
Wheeling5.08.46 ft, Jun 26, 20136
Flossmoor9.013.08 ft, Apr 17, 20060
Markham10.012.00 ft, Oct 11, 19542
Chicago (Columbus Dr)3.05.50 ft, Oct 10, 19542
Chicago (Western Ave)4.05.26 ft, May 17, 20200
Chicago Heights10.012.87 ft, Sep 15, 20080
Des Plaines (Algonquin Road)13.021.00 ft, Sep 14, 20082
Lyons18.022.87 ft, Apr 18, 20132
River Forest16.018.98 ft, Apr 19, 20131
Riverside7.511.28 ft, Apr 18, 20137
Des Plaines15.020.92 ft, Apr 19, 20135
Lemont10.013.24 ft, May 18, 20200
Willow Springs10.010.57 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Lake Michigan at Calumet Harbor5.06.07 ft, Aug 11, 20200
Lake Michigan at Chicago (Chicago Lock)4.05.98 ft, Apr 29, 20200
Lansing7.010.18 ft, Oct 11, 19540
South Holland16.020.50 ft, Nov 28, 19905
Lemont6.011.10 ft, Jul 18, 19961
Mount Prospect5.08.08 ft, Aug 14, 19872
Oak Forest6.09.50 ft, Apr 5, 19472
Midlothian8.59.98 ft, Feb 2, 20160
Chicago (Grand Ave)3.05.70 ft, Oct 10, 19543
Chicago (Pulaski Rd)18.022.50 ft, Aug 14, 19871
Niles10.012.13 ft, Sep 14, 20082
Elk Grove Village17.020.80 ft, May 18, 20200
Rolling Meadows8.514.03 ft, Aug 14, 19870
Western Springs7.510.65 ft, Apr 18, 20130
Worth31.036.50 ft, Oct 11, 19542
Glenwood8.511.14 ft, Jul 13, 19570
Thornton9.017.06 ft, Jun 14, 19816
Palos Park9.010.30 ft, Oct 10, 19540
Des Plaines9.015.09 ft, Jun 10, 19677
Northbrook7.010.10 ft, Aug 14, 19877

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge EPCI2, 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.