Little Calumet River river
Total streamflow across the Little Calumet River was last observed at 1,658 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 3,289 acre-ft of water today; about 286% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 579 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2026-06-12 when daily discharge volume was observed at 2,408 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Little Calumet River At South Holland reporting a streamflow rate of 1,190 cfs. This is also the highest stage along the Little Calumet River, with a gauge stage of 11.72 ft at this location. This river is monitored from 3 different streamgauging stations along the Little Calumet River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 617 ft, the Little Calumet River At Porter.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Little Calumet River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Little Calumet River
All 3 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Little Calumet River At Porter
IN
USGS 04094000
|
120 | 4.36 | -40.3 | 203% | 25 | 2,860 | 617 |
|
Little Calumet River At South Holland
IL
USGS 05536290
|
1,190 | 11.72 | -22.7 | 1936% | 13 | 3,370 | 596 |
|
Little Calumet River At Munster
IN
USGS 05536195
|
348 | 10.31 | -35.7 | 1017% | 1 | 1,370 | 591 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Little Calumet River
The Little Calumet River is a 44.1-mile-long river located in northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana, and it flows into Lake Michigan. The river was originally used by Native Americans for transportation and fishing, and later by European settlers for logging and transportation. The river's hydrology has been altered by the construction of several reservoirs and dams, including the Thorn Creek Dam and the Oakwood Dunes Dam. These dams were built to control flooding and provide a source of drinking water for nearby communities. The Little Calumet River also has several recreational uses, including fishing, boating, and hiking, and is home to several species of fish and wildlife. The river is also used for agricultural purposes, including the irrigation of crops and grazing of livestock.
Recreation along the Little Calumet River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Little Calumet River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Little Calumet River
Where does the data for the Little Calumet River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.