Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Thorn Creek at Thornton

Highest listed crest 17.06 ftFlood stage 9.0 ft79 crests since 1947

The Thorn Creek at Thornton crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 79 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1947 to 2021. The highest, 17.06 ft on June 14, 1981, was major flooding, 8.06 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Thorn Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.06 ft
June 14, 1981; 4,140 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
9.0 ft
Major flooding from 15.5 ft
Crests at major
6
48th of 177 gauges in Illinois
Most recent flood crest
May 9, 2021
9.95 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cook County
Near South Holland (2.1 mi), Homewood (2.8 mi), Lansing (3.2 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Thorn Creek at Thornton
Action stage7.52Dec 15, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)9.055May 9, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.016Sep 28, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage15.56Sep 14, 2008Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

79 crests from 1947 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Thorn Creek at Thornton, 1947 to 2021 81012141618ft Flood stage 9.0 ftMajor 15.5 ft Apr 5, 1947: 14.34 ft, moderate flooding; 4,200 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1948: 14.08 ft, moderate flooding; 4,040 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1949: 9.81 ft, minor flooding; 1,320 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1949: 11.30 ft, minor flooding; 2,010 cubic feet per secondMay 11, 1951: 12.26 ft, minor flooding; 2,720 cubic feet per secondNov 14, 1951: 10.53 ft, minor flooding; 1,570 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1953: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 2,280 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1954: 11.10 ft, minor flooding; 1,890 cubic feet per secondOct 11, 1954: 14.70 ft, moderate flooding; 3,370 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1956: 11.66 ft, minor flooding; 2,280 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1957: 16.00 ft, major flooding; 4,700 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1958: 12.12 ft, minor flooding; 1,560 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1959: 11.92 ft, minor flooding; 1,780 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1960: 9.90 ft, minor flooding; 1,220 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1961: 12.94 ft, minor flooding; 2,420 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1962: 8.77 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1965: 10.12 ft, minor flooding; 1,290 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1965: 14.18 ft, moderate flooding; 3,240 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1967: 11.34 ft, minor flooding; 1,690 cubic feet per secondAug 17, 1968: 14.43 ft, moderate flooding; 3,420 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1969: 9.77 ft, minor flooding; 1,090 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1970: 12.51 ft, minor flooding; 1,830 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1970: 10.02 ft, minor flooding; 1,250 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1972: 10.33 ft, minor flooding; 1,410 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1972: 14.36 ft, moderate flooding; 3,060 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1974: 14.36 ft, moderate flooding; 2,970 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1975: 11.60 ft, minor flooding; 1,630 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1976: 12.48 ft, minor flooding; 1,940 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 1977: 11.43 ft, minor flooding; 1,580 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1978: 12.69 ft, minor flooding; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1979: 13.97 ft, minor flooding; 2,680 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1980: 10.97 ft, minor flooding; 1,440 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1981: 17.06 ft, major flooding; 4,140 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1982: 14.21 ft, moderate flooding; 2,370 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1982: 15.95 ft, major flooding; 3,370 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1984: 13.52 ft, minor flooding; 2,060 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1985: 13.66 ft, minor flooding; 2,110 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1985: 12.25 ft, minor flooding; 1,630 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 1987: 11.19 ft, minor flooding; 1,350 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1987: 9.57 ft, minor flooding; 964 cubic feet per secondJun 1, 1989: 14.82 ft, moderate flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1990: 11.73 ft, minor flooding; 1,620 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1990: 16.87 ft, major flooding; 4,210 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1992: 9.41 ft, minor flooding; 1,070 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1993: 13.81 ft, minor flooding; 2,610 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1995: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 1996: 14.54 ft, moderate flooding; 3,100 cubic feet per secondJul 18, 1996: 16.24 ft, major flooding; 4,470 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1997: 14.74 ft, moderate flooding; 3,370 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1998: 13.07 ft, minor flooding; 2,360 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 12.82 ft, minor flooding; 2,230 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2000: 11.57 ft, minor flooding; 1,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2001: 12.16 ft, minor flooding; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 2002: 14.06 ft, moderate flooding; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2003: 12.13 ft, minor flooding; 1,890 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 2003: 11.57 ft, minor flooding; 1,640 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 2005: 12.99 ft, minor flooding; 2,320 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2006: 15.10 ft, moderate flooding; 5,540 cubic feet per secondAug 24, 2007: 12.14 ft, minor flooding; 2,820 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 2008: 15.89 ft, major flooding; 5,860 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2008: 13.06 ft, minor flooding; 3,490 cubic feet per secondOct 31, 2009: 11.95 ft, minor flooding; 2,630 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2011: 12.93 ft, minor flooding; 3,250 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2011: 8.77 ft, action stage; 1,240 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 2013: 14.87 ft, moderate flooding; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 10.46 ft, minor flooding; 1,590 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2015: 11.16 ft, minor flooding; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2017: 10.40 ft, minor flooding; 2,180 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 2017: 12.24 ft, minor flooding; 2,990 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2018: 14.96 ft, moderate flooding; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2018: 10.45 ft, minor flooding; 2,020 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2019: 13.10 ft, minor flooding; 3,430 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2019: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 2,620 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2019: 14.22 ft, moderate flooding; 3,890 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 2019: 10.08 ft, minor flooding; 1,890 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2020: 11.13 ft, minor flooding; 2,260 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2020: 11.41 ft, minor flooding; 2,370 cubic feet per secondMay 18, 2020: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 2,620 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2021: 9.95 ft, minor flooding; 1,840 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.06 ft, Jun 14, 1981 19501960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Thorn Creek at Thornton 1940s: 4 1950s: 9 1960s: 7 1970s: 10 1980s: 10 1990s: 10 2000s: 11 2010s: 12 12 2020s: 4 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 79 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Thorn Creek at Thornton
1Jun 14, 198117.06+8.06Major4,140
2Nov 28, 199016.87+7.87Major4,210
3Jul 18, 199616.24+7.24Major4,470
4Jul 13, 195716.00+7.00Major4,700
5Dec 3, 198215.95+6.95Major3,370
6Sep 14, 200815.89+6.89Major5,860
7Apr 17, 200615.10+6.10Moderate5,540
8Feb 21, 201814.96+5.96Moderate4,780
9Apr 18, 201314.87+5.87Moderate5,160
10Jun 1, 198914.82+5.82Moderate3,000
11Feb 22, 199714.74+5.74Moderate3,370
12Oct 11, 195414.70+5.70Moderate3,370
13May 29, 199614.54+5.54Moderate3,100
14Aug 17, 196814.43+5.43Moderate3,420
15Dec 31, 197214.36+5.36Moderate3,060
16Jun 7, 197414.36+5.36Moderate2,970
17Apr 5, 194714.34+5.34Moderate4,200
18Sep 28, 201914.22+5.22Moderate3,890
19May 22, 198214.21+5.21Moderate2,370
20Dec 25, 196514.18+5.18Moderate3,240
21Mar 20, 194814.08+5.08Moderate4,040
22May 12, 200214.06+5.06Moderate2,900
23Mar 4, 197913.97+4.97Minor2,680
24Jun 9, 199313.81+4.81Minor2,610
25Feb 23, 198513.66+4.66Minor2,110
26Mar 16, 198413.52+4.52Minor2,060
27May 1, 201913.10+4.10Minor3,430
28May 8, 199813.07+4.07Minor2,360
29Dec 28, 200813.06+4.06Minor3,490
30Jan 13, 200512.99+3.99Minor2,320
31Sep 24, 196112.94+3.94Minor2,420
32Jun 10, 201112.93+3.93Minor3,250
33Jan 24, 199912.82+3.82Minor2,230
34May 13, 197812.69+3.69Minor2,020
35May 15, 197012.51+3.51Minor1,830
36Apr 25, 197612.48+3.48Minor1,940
37May 11, 195112.26+3.26Minor2,720
38Nov 19, 198512.25+3.25Minor1,630
39Mar 31, 201712.24+3.24Minor2,990
40Feb 10, 200112.16+3.16Minor1,900
41Aug 24, 200712.14+3.14Minor2,820
42Jul 21, 200312.13+3.13Minor1,890
43Aug 16, 195812.12+3.12Minor1,560
44Jun 27, 201912.07+3.07Minor2,620
45May 18, 202012.07+3.07Minor2,620
46Oct 31, 200911.95+2.95Minor2,630
47Apr 28, 195911.92+2.92Minor1,780
48May 10, 199011.73+2.73Minor1,620
49Jun 11, 195311.72+2.72Minor2,280
50Jun 14, 199511.72+2.72Minor1,640

The worst floods along the Thorn Creek

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

June 14, 1981: 17.06 ft here, major flooding

  • GlenwoodIL · Jun 13, 1981 · 11.07 ft · Moderate

July 18, 1996: 16.24 ft here, major flooding

  • GlenwoodIL · Jul 18, 1996 · 10.29 ft · Minor

July 13, 1957: 16.00 ft here, major flooding

  • GlenwoodIL · Jul 13, 1957 · 11.14 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Thorn Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Thorn Creek
GlenwoodIL8.511.14 ft, Jul 13, 19570
Thornton this gaugeIL9.017.06 ft, Jun 14, 19816

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
Elgin5.57.69 ft, Sep 13, 20080
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
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 THNI2, 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.