Illinois River Intelligence

Upper Illinois Water Trail

Data age: 7 min

Illinois River at Hwy 16 near Siloam Springs
251 cfs
Optimal
6.22 ft
➡ +0 cfs/hr
as of 5:00 PM CT
Too Low: < 150 cfs
Low but Floatable: 150–250 cfs
Optimal: 250–2,500 cfs
Above Recommended: > 2,500 cfs
Recommendations are from Local Paddling Community.
The AGFC officially recommends 200–1,000 cfs for the Upper Illinois Water Trail.

Hwy 16 Gauge - Past 24 hours

250peak 257
24h ago12hnow
Range over 24 h: 245–257 cfs

Upstream Signal Gauges

Illinois River at Savoy
46.5 cfs ➡
signals Hwy 16 · ~6–8 h lead
as of 5:00 PM CT
Osage Creek at Elm Springs
121.0 cfs ⬆
signals Hwy 16 · ~7–10 h lead
as of 5:00 PM CT
Osage Creek at Cave Springs
35.2 cfs ➡
signals Hwy 16 · ~9–13 h lead
as of 4:45 PM CT
Mud Creek at Johnson
3.2 cfs ➡
signals Hwy 16 · ~11–16 h lead
as of 5:25 PM CT

Above Hwy 16 Watershed Rainfall

Sub-Watershed1 hr24 hr24 hr QPF
Lake Weddington-Illinois River0.00"0.00"0.00"
Headwaters Illinois River0.00"0.00"0.00"
Goose Creek-Illinois River0.00"0.00"0.00"
Mud Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Hamestring Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Little Wildcat Creek-Clear Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Headwaters Osage Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Little Osage Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Brush Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Outlet Osage Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Upper Muddy Fork0.00"0.00"0.00"
Moores Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Lower Muddy Fork0.00"0.00"0.00"
Chambers Hollow-Illinois River0.00"0.00"0.00"
Lake Fayetteville-Clear Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Spring Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Zone 24 hr QPF total: 0.00"
Illinois River near Watts, OK (Downstream of WOKA)
307 cfs
Low but Floatable
2.47 ft
➡ +0 cfs/hr
as of 5:30 PM CT
Too Low: < 200 cfs
Low but Floatable: 200–400 cfs
Optimal: 400–2,500 cfs
Above Recommended: > 2,500 cfs

Watts, OK Gauge - Past 24 hours

200peak 324
24h ago12hnow
Range over 24 h: 248–324 cfs

Below Hwy 16 Watershed Rainfall

Sub-Watershed1 hr24 hr24 hr QPF
Upper Ballard Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Lake Frances-Illinois River0.00"0.00"0.00"
Weddington Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Cincinnati Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Lower Ballad Creek0.00"0.00"0.00"
Zone 24 hr QPF total: 0.00"

Watershed Rainfall Map

QPE = Precipitation Estimate (observed) · QPF = Precipitation Forecast

0"
0.01–0.24"
0.25–0.49"
0.50–0.99"
1.00–1.99"
2.00"+

📊 Empirical Forecast

No rise indicated by recent rainfall

Soil: DROUGHT · Confidence: CALIBRATED

Forecast applies to the Hwy 16 decision-gauge thresholds.

Details

Calibrated chance the gauge rises from MEDIUM to HIGH within ~12–30 h, from 24 h rainfall (0.0 mm) on DROUGHT soil. Regime factor 0.606. Experimental.

TierChanceBandp25p50p75n
LOW—————2
MEDIUM—above typical0.00"0.00"0.00"36
HIGH~0%below typical0.86"1.30"1.88"162

Soil-stratified data unavailable for current conditions; using overall historical distribution.

📊 Empirical Forecast Archives →
📖 Historical Events & Stage Time →

3-Day Forecast

Updated: 12:49 PM CT

Siloam Springs
This Afternoon
98° / 75°
Sunny
SW 5 to 10 mph
Monday
99° / 77°
Sunny
SW 5 to 10 mph
Tuesday
100° / 76°
Mostly Sunny
SW 5 mph
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DISCLAIMER: This site provides creek condition estimates for informational purposes only. Gauge data, radar estimates, and forecasts may be delayed, inaccurate, or unavailable. Always exercise independent judgment. Whitewater kayaking is inherently dangerous — water conditions can change rapidly. This site and its maintainers assume no responsibility for decisions made based on information displayed here.