Pecatonica River
Last Updated: April 14, 2026
Total streamflow across the
Pecatonica River
was last observed at
5,272
cfs, and is expected to yield approximately
10,457
acre-ft of water today; about 84%
of normal.
Average streamflow for this time of year is
6,261 cfs,
with recent peaks last observed
on
2019-03-17 when daily discharge volume was observed at
47,050 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
reporting a streamflow rate of 2,590 cfs.
This is also the highest stage along the Pecatonica River, with a gauge stage of
7.43 ft at this location.
This river is monitored from 4 different streamgauging stations along the Pecatonica River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 827 ft, the
Pecatonica River At Darlington.
Get the latest River Levels, Streamflow, and Hydrology for Pecatonica River in River flows across 4 streamgages of the Pecatonica River
15-Day Long Term Forecast
River Details
| Last Updated | 2026-04-14 |
| Discharge Volume | 10,457 ACRE-FT |
| Streamflow |
5,272.0 cfs
Past 24 Hours: +181.0 cfs (+3.56%) |
| Percent of Normal | 84.2% |
| Maximum |
47,050.0 cfs
2019-03-17 |
| Seasonal Avg | 6,261 cfs |
River Streamflow Levels
| Streamgauge | Streamflow | Gauge Stage | 24hr Change (%) | % Normal | Minimum (cfs) | Maximum (cfs) | Air Temp | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pecatonica River At Darlington
USGS 05432500 |
447 cfs | 4.96 ft | 48.5 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Martintown
USGS 05434500 |
935 cfs | 6.8 ft | 8.72 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River At Freeport
USGS 05435500 |
1300 cfs | 6.49 ft | 0 | |||||
|
Pecatonica River Nr Shirland
USGS 05437050 |
2590 cfs | 7.43 ft | -1.52 |
Seasonal Discharge Comparison
Maximum Streamflow Discharge
Streamflow Elevation Profile
The Pecatonica River is a tributary of the Rock River, 194 miles (312 km) long, in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the United States.
The word Pecatonica is an anglicization of two Algonquian language words: Bekaa (or Pekaa in some dialects), which means "slow", and niba, which means "water", forming the conjunction Bekaaniba or "Slow Water".
It rises in the hills of southwest Wisconsin, in southwest Iowa County, 2 miles (3 km) west of Cobb. It flows south, then southeast, past Calamine and Darlington. In southeast Lafayette County it receives the East Branch Pecatonica River, approximately 8 miles (13 km) north of the state line. It flows south-southeast into Illinois, past Freeport, where it turns east, then east-northeast, receiving the Sugar River near Shirland in northern Winnebago County, 5 miles (8 km) south of the state line. It joins the Rock at Rockton, approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of Rockford.
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