River Conditions
Illustrated map of Lake Michigan at Chicago

River stage

Lemont, Des Plaines River

River level
6.47 ft
Status
Below flood stage
7-day change
-1.28 ft
Recent high
10.89 ft
Recent low
5.49 ft

Last reported 2026-10-13 | NWS LEMI2

30-day change
+0.49 ft
Average
7.22 ft
Readings
122
Data span
122 days
Record crest
13.24 ft

In brief

The Des Plaines River at Lemont, IL read 6.47 ft on Oct 13, 2026, 3.03 ft below action stage. That is 0.49 ft higher than 30 days earlier.

Source: National Weather Service gauge LEMI2

River level timeline

5.36.67.99.110.4SEP 13SEP 18SEP 23SEP 28OCT 03OCT 08OCT 13ACTION 9.50 ftHIGH 9.85LOW 5.906.51 ftLAST READING

Stage threshold profile

Action stage 9.50 ftMinor flooding 10.00 ftModerate flooding 13.00 ftMajor flooding 15.00 ft CURRENT 6.47 ft

Highest crests on record

RankCrestDate
1 13.24 ft 2020-05-18
2 12.58 ft 2013-04-19
3 12.41 ft 2017-10-15
4 12.30 ft 1957-07-14
5 12.20 ft 2008-09-15
6 11.96 ft 2019-05-01
7 11.67 ft 2018-02-21
8 11.52 ft 2017-07-23

Flood crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service.

What happens at each level

  1. 10.00 ft

    Low-lying areas of the Black Partridge Forest Preserve are inundated.

  2. 11.00 ft

    Trails at the Isle a la Cache Museum are inundated. Water may begin to overflow into the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal near Willow Springs.

  3. 11.50 ft

    Veterans Memorial Trail threatened north of the river at Keepataw Preserve.

  4. 12.50 ft

    Romeo Road is threatened in Romeoville.

  5. 13.00 ft

    The lower parking lot at Isle a la Cache Museum begins to flood.

  6. 13.50 ft

    Portions of Centennial Trail near the Romeo Road trailhead are threatened. Flood waters may overflow into the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal near Romeoville.

  7. 14.00 ft

    Bluff Road is threatened west of Lemont Road.

  8. 15.00 ft

    Will County Generating Station property is threatened. Isle a la Cache Museum levee is overtopped.

  9. 16.00 ft

    Lemont Road threatened north of the river. Flood waters may overflow into the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal near Lemont.

  10. 18.50 ft

    Residences threatened near Bluff Road and Lemont Road.

Written by the local National Weather Service forecast office for this exact gauge.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Des Plaines River flooding at Lemont?

No. The Des Plaines River at Lemont is at 6.47 ft, 3.03 ft below action stage.

What is the flood stage at Lemont?

The National Weather Service sets action stage 9.5 ft, minor flooding 10 ft, moderate flooding 13 ft and major flooding 15 ft.

What is the highest the Des Plaines River has been at Lemont?

The highest crest on record is 13.24 ft, on 2020-05-18.

Is the Des Plaines River high or low right now at Lemont?

At 6.47 ft it is higher than 31% of readings over the last 122 days.

Stage and flood information from the NOAA National Weather Service (gauge LEMI2); daily history from the U.S. Geological Survey (site 05533600). Last reading 2026-10-13. For flood safety decisions always follow official National Weather Service warnings.