Kayak Love

Illinois · river

Mill Creek at Milan

Live conditions for this USGS-monitored stretch of water, updated every 15 minutes.

41of 100

Caution

Paddle Score, from live wind and water conditions

Photograph taken near Mill Creek at Milan
Nearby on Wikimedia Commons — American White Pelican female.JPG by Kenneth Darland, CC BY-SA 3.0. Taken within 10km of this location — it may not show the launch itself.

Wind

17 mph

gusting to 34 mph

Air temp

70°F

39% chance of rain

River flow

63.7 cfs

very high for this date

Best day to paddle this week

Monday · 98

  • Today

    30

  • Sun

    88

  • Mon

    98

    Best

  • Tue

    93

  • Wed

    76

  • Thu

    95

  • Fri

    88

Scored from each day's peak forecast wind, heat, and rain chance — river flow isn't forecastable, so check back before you load the boat.

Wind, next 12 hours

mph
Hourly wind forecast
HourWind (mph)Gusts (mph)
12p1735
1p1634
2p1429
3p1428
4p1127
5p925
6p927
7p722
8p617
9p513
10p413
11p414

Is this flow normal for August 1?

Today's 63.7 cfs is 431% above the median for this date — which counts as very high water here.

The median flow on this date is 12 cfs, across 84 years of USGS record at this gauge. Whether that is runnable depends on the stretch — this is context, not a recommendation.

Why this score

  • Wind17 mph — hard work, whitecaps likely-41
  • GustsGusting to 34 mph — 17 mph over sustained-14
  • Rain39% chance in the next 6 hours-4

We don't have launch notes for this one

This page is built from the USGS gauge at this location, so the flow and weather are real — but we haven't verified where to put in, what the hazards are, or whether this stretch is legal or sensible to paddle. We'd rather say that than invent it. The links below are where to find out.

We also don't have a verified safe-flow range here, so the Paddle Score reflects weather only. Judge the flow number against local knowledge, not against our score.

Do your own homework

We show you live conditions. For local knowledge — where to put in, what the hazards are, whether it's worth the drive — here's where paddlers actually talk about this water. We don't vet these sources; check the dates and judge for yourself.

Nearby water

All paddling spots in Illinois