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Rock River at Rockton

Highest listed crest 15.54 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft89 crests since 1940

The Rock River at Rockton crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 89 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2024. The highest, 15.54 ft on March 25, 1975, was major flooding, 5.54 feet above flood stage. 8 other gauges on the Rock River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.54 ft
March 25, 1975; 30,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
4
65th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
July 17, 2024
11.25 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Winnebago County
Near Roscoe (3.6 mi), Beloit (5.8 mi), Machesney Park (6.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Rock River at Rockton
Action stage8.528Jun 6, 2024The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.014Apr 8, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage11.029Jul 17, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.04Mar 17, 2019Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

89 crests from 1940 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Rock River at Rockton, 1940 to 2024 6810121416ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Aug 27, 1940: 10.53 ft, minor flooding; 15,800 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1941: 8.47 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1943: 12.88 ft, moderate flooding; 22,800 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1944: 10.91 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 12.24 ft, moderate flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1947: 7.44 ft, below flood stage; 9,200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1948: 13.82 ft, moderate flooding; 25,700 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1949: 10.57 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1950: 9.51 ft, action stage; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1951: 9.57 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1952: 11.82 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1953: 9.57 ft, action stage; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1955: 8.91 ft, action stage; 12,400 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1959: 14.08 ft, major flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1960: 13.49 ft, moderate flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1961: 9.04 ft, action stage; 12,600 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1962: 11.32 ft, moderate flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1963: 8.83 ft, action stage; 12,100 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1965: 9.84 ft, action stage; 14,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1966: 9.17 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1967: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 9,800 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1969: 10.59 ft, minor floodingFeb 27, 1971: 11.22 ft, moderate flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1972: 8.78 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 13.40 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1974: 11.32 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1975: 15.54 ft, major flooding; 30,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1976: 10.45 ft, minor flooding; 16,700 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1978: 11.71 ft, moderate flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1979: 12.75 ft, moderate flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1981: 7.45 ft, below flood stage; 10,300 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1982: 10.45 ft, minor flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1983: 9.44 ft, action stage; 14,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1984: 7.25 ft, below flood stage; 9,940 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1985: 12.07 ft, moderate floodingMar 28, 1986: 10.50 ft, minor flooding; 16,700 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1987: 10.82 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 1988: 12.05 ft, moderate flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1989: 7.03 ft, below flood stage; 8,910 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1990: 8.19 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1991: 7.87 ft, below flood stage; 11,500 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1993: 12.84 ft, moderate flooding; 22,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1994: 10.37 ft, minor flooding; 16,900 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1995: 7.30 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1996: 11.49 ft, moderate flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1997: 11.79 ft, moderate flooding; 20,300 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1998: 9.35 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1999: 9.91 ft, action stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2000: 12.66 ft, moderate flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2001: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 10,700 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2002: 8.52 ft, action stage; 12,700 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2004: 11.11 ft, moderate flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 2005: 9.24 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2007: 11.10 ft, moderate flooding; 18,600 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2008: 14.72 ft, major flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2009: 11.59 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 2010: 13.39 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2011: 9.01 ft, action stage; 13,700 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2013: 13.46 ft, moderate flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2013: 11.96 ft, moderate flooding; 20,700 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2014: 7.89 ft, below flood stage; 11,100 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2014: 8.52 ft, action stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 2015: 7.04 ft, below flood stage; 3,650 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 2015: 8.55 ft, action stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 2016: 9.82 ft, action stage; 7,570 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2016: 7.93 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2016: 9.63 ft, action stageMay 2, 2017: 9.08 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2017: 9.19 ft, action stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2017: 13.14 ft, moderate flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2018: 13.51 ft, moderate flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2018: 8.42 ft, below flood stage; 11,600 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2018: 9.92 ft, action stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2018: 12.15 ft, moderate flooding; 20,600 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2018: 13.77 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2019: 10.43 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 2019: 10.25 ft, minor flooding; 13,600 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 2019: 15.13 ft, major flooding; 29,500 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2019: 9.72 ft, action stage; 14,300 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2019: 10.03 ft, minor flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondOct 7, 2019: 13.00 ft, moderate flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2020: 10.02 ft, minor flooding; 15,100 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2020: 9.23 ft, action stage; 13,200 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2022: 8.91 ft, action stage; 6,030 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2023: 9.12 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2023: 9.15 ft, action stage; 13,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2024: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 16,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2024: 9.14 ft, action stage; 12,900 cubic feet per secondJul 17, 2024: 11.25 ft, moderate flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.54 ft, Mar 25, 1975 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Rock River at Rockton 1940s: 6 1950s: 2 1960s: 3 1970s: 7 1980s: 5 1990s: 4 2000s: 5 2010s: 12 12 2020s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 3 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 14.80 ft on Mar 22, 1904; 12.56 ft on Mar 26, 1905; 12.30 ft on Mar 3, 1906.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 89 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Rock River at Rockton
1Mar 25, 197515.54+5.54Major30,000
2Mar 17, 201915.13+5.13Major29,500
3Jun 17, 200814.72+4.72Major27,800
4Apr 4, 195914.08+4.08Major25,400
5Mar 20, 194813.82+3.82Moderate25,700
6Oct 7, 201813.77+3.77Moderate25,000
7Feb 26, 201813.51+3.51Moderate24,300
8Apr 2, 196013.49+3.49Moderate23,800
9Apr 21, 201313.46+3.46Moderate24,500
10Apr 22, 197313.40+3.40Moderate24,300
11Jul 29, 201013.39+3.39Moderate24,300
12Jul 28, 201713.14+3.14Moderate23,200
13Oct 7, 201913.00+3.00Moderate23,100
14Mar 16, 194312.88+2.88Moderate22,800
15Apr 21, 199312.84+2.84Moderate22,900
16Apr 2, 197912.75+2.75Moderate22,500
17Jun 14, 200012.66+2.66Moderate22,500
18Jan 9, 194612.24+2.24Moderate20,900
19Sep 9, 201812.15+2.15Moderate20,600
20Mar 1, 198512.07+2.07Moderate—
21Feb 4, 198812.05+2.05Moderate12,000
22Jun 27, 201311.96+1.96Moderate20,700
23Mar 22, 195211.82+1.82Moderate19,800
24Feb 24, 199711.79+1.79Moderate20,300
25Jul 3, 197811.71+1.71Moderate19,900
26Mar 29, 200911.59+1.59Moderate19,800
27Jul 20, 199611.49+1.49Moderate19,500
28Mar 30, 196211.32+1.32Moderate18,000
29Mar 11, 197411.32+1.32Moderate19,900
30Jul 17, 202411.25+1.25Moderate18,200
31Feb 27, 197111.22+1.22Moderate17,800
32Jun 4, 200411.11+1.11Moderate18,600
33Aug 25, 200711.10+1.10Moderate18,600
34Mar 15, 194410.91+0.91Minor17,300
35Oct 5, 198710.82+0.82Minor—
36Jul 9, 196910.59+0.59Minor—
37Mar 9, 194910.57+0.57Minor16,500
38Aug 27, 194010.53+0.53Minor15,800
39Mar 28, 198610.50+0.50Minor16,700
40Mar 5, 197610.45+0.45Minor16,700
41Mar 17, 198210.45+0.45Minor16,900
42Jan 30, 201910.43+0.43Minor—
43Apr 8, 202410.40+0.40Minor16,000
44Feb 21, 199410.37+0.37Minor16,900
45Feb 4, 201910.25+0.25Minor13,600
46Sep 13, 201910.03+0.03Minor15,100
47Mar 29, 202010.02+0.02Minor15,100
48Jun 27, 20189.92−0.08Action15,000
49Apr 28, 19999.91−0.09Action15,800
50Sep 27, 19659.84−0.16Action14,500

The worst floods along the Rock River

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

March 25, 1975: 15.54 ft here, major flooding

  • Latham ParkIL · Mar 26, 1975 · 14.70 ft · Major · its highest
  • MolineIL · Mar 29, 1975 · 14.00 ft · Major
  • DixonIL · Mar 25, 1975 · 18.50 ft · Moderate
  • JoslinIL · Mar 28, 1975 · 15.95 ft · Moderate
  • ByronIL · Mar 25, 1975 · 15.00 ft · Moderate
  • AftonWI · Apr 1, 1975 · 11.25 ft · Moderate
  • Rockford (Fordam Dam)IL · Mar 26, 1975 · 5.50 ft · Moderate
  • Rockford (Auburn Street)IL · Mar 26, 1975 · 7.80 ft · Minor

March 17, 2019: 15.13 ft here, major flooding

June 17, 2008: 14.72 ft here, major flooding

  • Fort AtkinsonWI · Jun 15, 2008 · 20.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • JoslinIL · Jun 21, 2008 · 16.61 ft · Major
  • JeffersonWI · Jun 19, 2008 · 15.64 ft · Major · its highest
  • Lake KoshkonongWI · Jun 21, 2008 · 15.13 ft · Major · its highest
  • MolineIL · Jun 17, 2008 · 14.91 ft · Major
  • Latham ParkIL · Jun 18, 2008 · 14.30 ft · Major
  • Lebanon-3 E-Hwy MM bridgeWI · Jun 15, 2008 · 14.01 ft · Major · its highest
  • AftonWI · Jun 21, 2008 · 13.51 ft · Major · its highest
  • WatertownWI · Jun 13, 2008 · 7.81 ft · Major · its highest
  • ByronIL · Jun 15, 2008 · 14.81 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Rock River

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

Flood gauges on the Rock River
AftonWI9.013.51 ft, Jun 21, 20083
ByronIL13.017.80 ft, Apr 20, 19735
ComoIL12.515.64 ft, Jul 23, 20170
DixonIL16.020.50 ft, Apr 20, 19731
Fort AtkinsonWI16.020.90 ft, Jun 15, 20082
JeffersonWI10.015.64 ft, Jun 19, 20081
Lake KoshkonongWI10.015.13 ft, Jun 21, 20086
Latham ParkIL9.014.70 ft, Mar 26, 19753
Lebanon-3 E-Hwy MM bridgeWI10.014.01 ft, Jun 15, 20081
MolineIL12.016.53 ft, Apr 22, 201334
NewvilleWI6.58.51 ft, Apr 23, 20131
Rockford (Auburn Street)IL6.010.00 ft, Apr 20, 18811
Rockford (Fordam Dam)IL4.06.50 ft, Apr 20, 18811
Rockton this gaugeIL10.015.54 ft, Mar 25, 19754
WatertownWI5.57.81 ft, Jun 13, 20082
JoslinIL12.019.24 ft, Jun 7, 200224

Other gauges in Winnebago County

Flood gauges in Winnebago County
Perryville12.023.54 ft, Jul 18, 19961
Shirland12.018.08 ft, Mar 25, 197511
Latham Park9.014.70 ft, Mar 26, 19753
Rockford (Auburn Street)6.010.00 ft, Apr 20, 18811
Rockford (Fordam Dam)4.06.50 ft, Apr 20, 18811

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ROKI2, 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.