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Skokie River at Highland Park

Highest listed crest 10.44 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft20 crests since 1987

The Skokie River at Highland Park crested above flood stage 9 times among the 20 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1987 to 2020. The highest, 10.44 ft on July 13, 2017, was minor flooding, 1.44 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Skokie River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.44 ft
July 13, 2017; 1,770 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
No major stage set
Crests at major
0
9 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 13, 2019
9.47 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lake County
Near Highland Park (1.7 mi), Deerfield (2.8 mi), Northbrook (2.9 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Skokie River at Highland Park
Action stage8.54May 17, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.09Sep 13, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Skokie River at Highland Park, 1987 to 2020 7891011ft Flood stage 9.0 ft Aug 14, 1987: 9.09 ft, minor floodingMay 10, 1990: 8.21 ft, below flood stageMay 20, 1996: 8.88 ft, action stage; 745 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 9.13 ft, minor flooding; 894 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 9.09 ft, minor flooding; 880 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 2000: 8.36 ft, below flood stage; 634 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2001: 9.95 ft, minor flooding; 1,230 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2002: 8.39 ft, below flood stage; 640 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2003: 7.70 ft, below flood stage; 454 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2004: 8.02 ft, below flood stage; 536 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 8.08 ft, below flood stage; 553 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2007: 8.95 ft, action stage; 700 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 9.76 ft, minor flooding; 1,150 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 2017: 10.44 ft, minor flooding; 1,770 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 2017: 9.04 ft, minor flooding; 686 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 2018: 8.58 ft, action stage; 544 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2018: 9.28 ft, minor flooding; 795 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2019: 9.47 ft, minor flooding; 911 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 8.27 ft, below flood stage; 499 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2020: 8.87 ft, action stage; 627 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.44 ft, Jul 13, 2017 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Skokie River at Highland Park 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 0 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Skokie River at Highland Park
1Jul 13, 201710.44+1.44Minor1,770
2Oct 14, 20019.95+0.95Minor1,230
3Apr 18, 20139.76+0.76Minor1,150
4Sep 13, 20199.47+0.47Minor911
5Sep 3, 20189.28+0.28Minor795
6Feb 21, 19979.13+0.13Minor894
7Aug 14, 19879.09+0.09Minor—
8Apr 23, 19999.09+0.09Minor880
9Oct 15, 20179.04+0.04Minor686
10Aug 21, 20078.95−0.05Action700
11May 20, 19968.88−0.12Action745
12May 17, 20208.87−0.13Action627
13Feb 20, 20188.58−0.42Action544
14Aug 22, 20028.39−0.61Below flood stage640
15Apr 21, 20008.36−0.64Below flood stage634
16Apr 30, 20208.27−0.73Below flood stage499
17May 10, 19908.21−0.79Below flood stage—
18Jan 13, 20058.08−0.92Below flood stage553
19May 31, 20048.02−0.98Below flood stage536
20Jul 6, 20037.70−1.30Below flood stage454

The worst floods along the Skokie River

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

July 13, 2017: 10.44 ft here, minor flooding

  • Lake ForestIL · Jul 12, 2017 · 9.09 ft · Moderate · its highest

October 14, 2001: 9.95 ft here, minor flooding

April 18, 2013: 9.76 ft here, minor flooding

Gauges on the Skokie River

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

Flood gauges on the Skokie River
Lake ForestIL6.09.09 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Highland Park this gaugeIL9.010.44 ft, Jul 13, 20170

Other gauges in Lake County

Flood gauges in Lake County
Lincolnshire12.516.55 ft, Jul 13, 20174
Gurnee7.012.09 ft, Jul 16, 20174
Russell7.012.11 ft, Jul 14, 20178
Fox Lake6.08.12 ft, Apr 5, 19606
Lake Villa6.08.90 ft, Jul 4, 19387
Antioch6.08.34 ft, Apr 5, 19606
Old Mill Creek11.013.21 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Deerfield9.512.75 ft, Jul 13, 20170
Lake Forest6.09.09 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Deerfield13.016.84 ft, Jun 10, 19671

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HIPI2, 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.