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Sangamon River near Oakford

Highest listed crest 478.51 ftFlood stage 471.0 ft122 crests since 1910

The Sangamon River near Oakford crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 122 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1910 to 2024. The highest, 478.51 ft on May 20, 1943, was major flooding, 7.51 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Sangamon River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
478.51 ft
May 20, 1943; 123,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
471.0 ft
Major flooding from 478.5 ft
Crests at major
1
101st of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
January 25, 2024
473.49 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Menard County
Illinois

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Sangamon River near Oakford
Action stage469.023Jul 18, 2021The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)471.032Jun 30, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage472.927Jan 25, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage478.51May 20, 1943Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

122 crests from 1910 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Sangamon River near Oakford, 1910 to 2024 455460465470475480ft Flood stage 471.0 ftMajor 478.5 ft Jan 22, 1910: 467.23 ft, below flood stage; 11,000 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 1911: 465.78 ft, below flood stage; 9,100 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1911: 473.48 ft, moderate flooding; 33,800 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1915: 470.68 ft, action stage; 22,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1916: 471.98 ft, minor flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1917: 472.78 ft, minor flooding; 33,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1918: 465.11 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1921: 465.63 ft, below flood stage; 12,000 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1922: 472.72 ft, minor flooding; 37,600 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 1926: 472.88 ft, minor flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1926: 474.48 ft, moderate flooding; 46,300 cubic feet per secondOct 6, 1927: 469.98 ft, action stage; 24,100 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1929: 471.25 ft, minor flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1931: 458.40 ft, below flood stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1932: 460.78 ft, below flood stage; 6,430 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 1933: 471.34 ft, minor flooding; 30,200 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1934: 459.18 ft, below flood stage; 4,630 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1935: 468.98 ft, below flood stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1936: 469.18 ft, action stage; 21,500 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1937: 466.58 ft, below flood stage; 20,300 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1938: 470.58 ft, action stage; 34,600 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1939: 473.78 ft, moderate flooding; 42,800 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1940: 462.68 ft, below flood stage; 6,720 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1941: 462.47 ft, below flood stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1942: 472.48 ft, minor flooding; 31,400 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1943: 478.51 ft, major flooding; 123,000 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1944: 473.80 ft, moderate flooding; 44,700 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1945: 470.18 ft, action stage; 21,200 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1946: 468.48 ft, below flood stage; 15,700 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 1947: 470.74 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1948: 469.54 ft, action stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1949: 468.95 ft, below flood stage; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1950: 472.15 ft, minor flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1951: 473.48 ft, moderate flooding; 36,300 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1952: 468.16 ft, below flood stage; 15,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1953: 465.80 ft, below flood stage; 10,500 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1954: 460.49 ft, below flood stage; 3,800 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1955: 462.60 ft, below flood stage; 5,960 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1956: 465.50 ft, below flood stage; 10,000 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1957: 472.93 ft, moderate flooding; 36,300 cubic feet per secondAug 5, 1958: 470.94 ft, action stage; 24,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1959: 473.04 ft, moderate flooding; 37,900 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1960: 471.28 ft, minor flooding; 26,200 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1961: 472.71 ft, minor flooding; 34,700 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1962: 471.04 ft, minor flooding; 25,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1963: 469.91 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1964: 471.03 ft, minor flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1965: 467.29 ft, below flood stage; 13,300 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1966: 468.76 ft, below flood stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1966: 466.18 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 1968: 473.12 ft, moderate flooding; 38,300 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1969: 470.07 ft, action stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1970: 473.55 ft, moderate flooding; 42,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1971: 464.24 ft, below flood stage; 8,400 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1971: 468.63 ft, below flood stage; 16,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1973: 474.46 ft, moderate flooding; 45,800 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1974: 474.64 ft, moderate flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1975: 470.15 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1976: 469.44 ft, action stage; 19,400 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1977: 472.08 ft, minor flooding; 29,100 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1978: 471.32 ft, minor flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1979: 475.44 ft, moderate flooding; 55,900 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1980: 468.03 ft, below flood stage; 15,800 cubic feet per secondAug 6, 1981: 473.26 ft, moderate flooding; 36,000 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1982: 470.88 ft, action stage; 23,700 cubic feet per secondDec 5, 1982: 476.53 ft, moderate flooding; 68,700 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1984: 471.10 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 471.53 ft, minor flooding; 26,500 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1985: 471.94 ft, minor flooding; 28,400 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1986: 468.88 ft, below flood stage; 18,000 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1988: 465.62 ft, below flood stage; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1989: 465.11 ft, below flood stage; 11,300 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1990: 471.27 ft, minor flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1991: 472.14 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1992: 469.23 ft, action stage; 18,800 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1993: 472.12 ft, minor flooding; 29,300 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1994: 476.09 ft, moderate flooding; 78,100 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1995: 473.56 ft, moderate flooding; 41,900 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1996: 472.92 ft, moderate flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1997: 466.89 ft, below flood stage; 14,200 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1998: 470.92 ft, action stage; 28,000 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1999: 467.54 ft, below flood stage; 15,500 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2000: 465.87 ft, below flood stage; 12,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2001: 469.45 ft, action stage; 22,300 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2002: 476.73 ft, moderate flooding; 77,300 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2003: 467.31 ft, below flood stage; 15,000 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 2004: 468.12 ft, below flood stage; 16,800 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 2005: 475.02 ft, moderate flooding; 55,600 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2006: 465.79 ft, below flood stage; 12,300 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2007: 470.30 ft, action stage; 23,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2008: 471.77 ft, minor flooding; 30,361 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2008: 474.17 ft, moderate flooding; 45,900 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2009: 471.94 ft, minor flooding; 30,500 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2009: 473.98 ft, moderate flooding; 45,400 cubic feet per secondNov 21, 2009: 471.80 ft, minor floodingDec 28, 2009: 471.83 ft, minor floodingJun 26, 2010: 472.45 ft, minor flooding; 34,100 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2011: 470.27 ft, action stage; 24,200 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2012: 460.56 ft, below flood stage; 4,790 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2013: 472.59 ft, minor flooding; 34,300 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 2013: 471.88 ft, minor floodingFeb 23, 2014: 471.03 ft, minor flooding; 24,900 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2015: 469.48 ft, action stage; 20,100 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2015: 472.97 ft, moderate flooding; 37,100 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2015: 473.07 ft, moderate flooding; 37,800 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 2016: 477.67 ft, moderate flooding; 73,600 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2017: 471.40 ft, minor flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2018: 463.65 ft, below flood stage; 9,270 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2018: 464.14 ft, below flood stage; 10,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2019: 469.30 ft, action stage; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2019: 469.01 ft, action stage; 19,100 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2019: 468.57 ft, below flood stage; 18,200 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2019: 474.44 ft, moderate flooding; 49,700 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2019: 471.05 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2020: 470.48 ft, action stage; 22,700 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2020: 472.43 ft, minor flooding; 33,200 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 2020: 473.49 ft, moderate flooding; 37,200 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 2021: 472.67 ft, minor flooding; 34,900 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 2021: 469.58 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2022: 468.70 ft, below flood stage; 18,400 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 2024: 473.49 ft, moderate floodingApr 30, 2024: 468.26 ft, below flood stage; 17,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 478.51 ft, May 20, 1943 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Sangamon River near Oakford 1910s: 3 1920s: 4 1930s: 2 1940s: 3 1950s: 4 1960s: 5 1970s: 6 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 2000s: 8 2010s: 10 10 2020s: 4 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 122 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Sangamon River near Oakford
1May 20, 1943478.51+7.51Major123,000
2Jan 1, 2016477.67+6.67Moderate73,600
3May 15, 2002476.73+5.73Moderate77,300
4Dec 5, 1982476.53+5.53Moderate68,700
5Apr 15, 1994476.09+5.09Moderate78,100
6Apr 15, 1979475.44+4.44Moderate55,900
7Jan 15, 2005475.02+4.02Moderate55,600
8Jun 25, 1974474.64+3.64Moderate42,900
9Oct 4, 1926474.48+3.48Moderate46,300
10Apr 25, 1973474.46+3.46Moderate45,800
11May 4, 2019474.44+3.44Moderate49,700
12Jun 11, 2008474.17+3.17Moderate45,900
13Nov 2, 2009473.98+2.98Moderate45,400
14Apr 26, 1944473.80+2.80Moderate44,700
15Mar 16, 1939473.78+2.78Moderate42,800
16May 20, 1995473.56+2.56Moderate41,900
17May 3, 1970473.55+2.55Moderate42,300
18May 20, 2020473.49+2.49Moderate37,200
19Jan 25, 2024473.49+2.49Moderate—
20Oct 4, 1911473.48+2.48Moderate33,800
21Jul 1, 1951473.48+2.48Moderate36,300
22Aug 6, 1981473.26+2.26Moderate36,000
23Feb 7, 1968473.12+2.12Moderate38,300
24Jul 13, 2015473.07+2.07Moderate37,800
25Feb 14, 1959473.04+2.04Moderate37,900
26Jun 30, 2015472.97+1.97Moderate37,100
27May 1, 1957472.93+1.93Moderate36,300
28May 12, 1996472.92+1.92Moderate38,000
29Sep 13, 1926472.88+1.88Minor38,000
30Jun 9, 1917472.78+1.78Minor33,300
31Apr 14, 1922472.72+1.72Minor37,600
32May 11, 1961472.71+1.71Minor34,700
33Jun 30, 2021472.67+1.67Minor34,900
34Apr 23, 2013472.59+1.59Minor34,300
35Feb 9, 1942472.48+1.48Minor31,400
36Jun 26, 2010472.45+1.45Minor34,100
37May 2, 2020472.43+1.43Minor33,200
38Jan 17, 1950472.15+1.15Minor31,200
39May 8, 1991472.14+1.14Minor29,400
40Jan 7, 1993472.12+1.12Minor29,300
41May 9, 1977472.08+1.08Minor29,100
42Feb 5, 1916471.98+0.98Minor28,400
43Nov 25, 1985471.94+0.94Minor28,400
44May 19, 2009471.94+0.94Minor30,500
45Jun 4, 2013471.88+0.88Minor—
46Dec 28, 2009471.83+0.83Minor—
47Nov 21, 2009471.80+0.80Minor—
48Feb 8, 2008471.77+0.77Minor30,361
49Feb 25, 1985471.53+0.53Minor26,500
50May 7, 2017471.40+0.40Minor31,200

The worst floods along the Sangamon River

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

May 20, 1943: 478.51 ft here, major flooding

  • PetersburgIL · May 20, 1943 · 33.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • RivertonIL · May 19, 1943 · 31.52 ft · Major · its highest
  • MonticelloIL · May 18, 1943 · 17.67 ft · Moderate

January 1, 2016: 477.67 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChandlervilleIL · Jan 2, 2016 · 463.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • RivertonIL · Dec 31, 2015 · 30.13 ft · Major
  • PetersburgIL · Dec 31, 2015 · 30.55 ft · Moderate
  • MonticelloIL · Dec 29, 2015 · 18.56 ft · Moderate

May 15, 2002: 476.73 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Sangamon River

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

Flood gauges on the Sangamon River
MonticelloIL13.019.06 ft, Apr 13, 19940
PetersburgIL23.033.90 ft, May 20, 19431
RivertonIL23.031.52 ft, May 19, 19433
ChandlervilleIL456.6463.20 ft, Jan 2, 20162
Oakford this gaugeIL471.0478.51 ft, May 20, 19431

Other gauges in Menard County

Flood gauges in Menard County
Greenview16.020.50 ft, May 19, 19432
Petersburg23.033.90 ft, May 20, 19431

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OKFI2, 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.