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Skokie River at Lake Forest

Highest listed crest 9.09 ftFlood stage 6.0 ft61 crests since 1951

The Skokie River at Lake Forest crested above flood stage 39 times among the 61 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1951 to 2020. The highest, 9.09 ft on July 12, 2017, was moderate flooding, 3.09 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
9.09 ft
July 12, 2017; 795 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
6.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.5 ft
Crests at major
0
39 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
May 17, 2020
6.98 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lake County
Near Lake Forest (0.6 mi), Highland Park (3.9 mi), Deerfield (4.6 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 Lake Forest
Action stage4.022Apr 29, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)6.038May 17, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.51Jul 12, 2017Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.50—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

61 crests from 1951 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Skokie River at Lake Forest, 1951 to 2020 4681012ft Flood stage 6.0 ftMajor 10.5 ft Nov 13, 1951: 7.16 ft, minor flooding; 321 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1954: 6.38 ft, minor flooding; 257 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1954: 6.52 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1955: 5.40 ft, action stage; 194 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1957: 5.61 ft, action stage; 201 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1959: 7.08 ft, minor flooding; 313 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1960: 6.30 ft, minor flooding; 250 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1962: 5.54 ft, action stage; 194 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1963: 5.05 ft, action stage; 161 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1966: 5.24 ft, action stage; 176 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1967: 6.88 ft, minor flooding; 295 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1969: 7.13 ft, minor flooding; 315 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1970: 6.18 ft, minor flooding; 249 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1971: 5.83 ft, action stage; 223 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1972: 6.79 ft, minor flooding; 367 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1973: 6.84 ft, minor flooding; 302 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1974: 6.46 ft, minor flooding; 272 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1975: 5.25 ft, action stage; 185 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1976: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 315 cubic feet per secondJul 2, 1978: 5.00 ft, action stage; 169 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1979: 6.48 ft, minor flooding; 274 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1979: 5.09 ft, action stage; 175 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1981: 5.51 ft, action stage; 201 cubic feet per secondJul 22, 1982: 8.35 ft, minor flooding; 435 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1982: 7.94 ft, minor flooding; 394 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1984: 5.39 ft, action stage; 195 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 6.37 ft, minor flooding; 265 cubic feet per secondSep 26, 1986: 8.27 ft, minor flooding; 492 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1987: 6.11 ft, minor flooding; 259 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1988: 5.69 ft, action stage; 221 cubic feet per secondAug 18, 1990: 5.99 ft, action stage; 272 cubic feet per secondNov 27, 1990: 5.69 ft, action stage; 276 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1993: 6.28 ft, minor flooding; 294 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1994: 6.64 ft, minor flooding; 318 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1995: 6.09 ft, minor flooding; 305 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1996: 6.98 ft, minor flooding; 460 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1997: 7.24 ft, minor flooding; 496 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 1998: 5.12 ft, action stage; 246 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1999: 7.08 ft, minor flooding; 472 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2000: 6.74 ft, minor flooding; 429 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2001: 6.44 ft, minor flooding; 392 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2001: 7.78 ft, minor flooding; 580 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2003: 5.04 ft, action stage; 238 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2004: 5.32 ft, action stage; 267 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2006: 5.37 ft, action stage; 277 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 2007: 6.09 ft, minor flooding; 355 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2008: 7.01 ft, minor flooding; 464 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 2008: 6.58 ft, minor flooding; 412 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2010: 7.67 ft, minor flooding; 563 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2011: 5.29 ft, action stage; 269 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 7.70 ft, minor flooding; 726 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2014: 6.86 ft, minor flooding; 576 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2017: 6.21 ft, minor flooding; 516 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2017: 9.09 ft, moderate flooding; 795 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 2017: 7.33 ft, minor flooding; 449 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2018: 7.35 ft, minor flooding; 452 cubic feet per secondDec 1, 2018: 5.54 ft, action stage; 299 cubic feet per secondSep 13, 2019: 6.72 ft, minor flooding; 375 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2020: 5.11 ft, action stage; 332 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2020: 5.25 ft, action stage; 347 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 2020: 6.98 ft, minor flooding; 537 cubic feet per second Highest, 9.09 ft, Jul 12, 2017 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Skokie River at Lake Forest 1950s: 4 1960s: 3 1970s: 6 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 2000s: 6 2010s: 8 8 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 61 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Skokie River at Lake Forest
1Jul 12, 20179.09+3.09Moderate795
2Jul 22, 19828.35+2.35Minor435
3Sep 26, 19868.27+2.27Minor492
4Dec 3, 19827.94+1.94Minor394
5Oct 13, 20017.78+1.78Minor580
6Apr 18, 20137.70+1.70Minor726
7May 13, 20107.67+1.67Minor563
8Sep 3, 20187.35+1.35Minor452
9Oct 14, 20177.33+1.33Minor449
10Feb 21, 19977.24+1.24Minor496
11Nov 13, 19517.16+1.16Minor321
12Jun 8, 19697.13+1.13Minor315
13Apr 28, 19597.08+1.08Minor313
14Apr 23, 19997.08+1.08Minor472
15Mar 4, 19767.01+1.01Minor315
16Sep 13, 20087.01+1.01Minor464
17May 20, 19966.98+0.98Minor460
18May 17, 20206.98+0.98Minor537
19Jun 10, 19676.88+0.88Minor295
20May 13, 20146.86+0.86Minor576
21Apr 22, 19736.84+0.84Minor302
22Aug 23, 19726.79+0.79Minor367
23May 18, 20006.74+0.74Minor429
24Sep 13, 20196.72+0.72Minor375
25Feb 20, 19946.64+0.64Minor318
26Dec 27, 20086.58+0.58Minor412
27Jul 7, 19546.52+0.52Minor—
28Apr 12, 19796.48+0.48Minor274
29Jan 27, 19746.46+0.46Minor272
30Sep 19, 20016.44+0.44Minor392
31Apr 25, 19546.38+0.38Minor257
32Mar 4, 19856.37+0.37Minor265
33Mar 29, 19606.30+0.30Minor250
34Mar 31, 19936.28+0.28Minor294
35Jun 29, 20176.21+0.21Minor516
36Jun 2, 19706.18+0.18Minor249
37Apr 14, 19876.11+0.11Minor259
38Apr 27, 19956.09+0.09Minor305
39Aug 7, 20076.09+0.09Minor355
40Aug 18, 19905.99−0.01Action272
41Feb 19, 19715.83−0.17Action223
42Jan 20, 19885.69−0.31Action221
43Nov 27, 19905.69−0.31Action276
44May 19, 19575.61−0.39Action201
45Mar 19, 19625.54−0.46Action194
46Dec 1, 20185.54−0.46Action299
47Aug 28, 19815.51−0.49Action201
48Jan 5, 19555.40−0.60Action194
49Feb 13, 19845.39−0.61Action195
50Mar 13, 20065.37−0.63Action277

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 12, 2017: 9.09 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Highland ParkIL · Jul 13, 2017 · 10.44 ft · Minor · its highest

October 13, 2001: 7.78 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 Forest this gaugeIL6.09.09 ft, Jul 12, 20170
Highland ParkIL9.010.44 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
Highland Park9.010.44 ft, Jul 13, 20170
Deerfield13.016.84 ft, Jun 10, 19671

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LAFI2, 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.