Illinois River Starting To Recede After Cresting At 27.53 Ft

In Cherokee County, the Illinois River is more than 26 feet high. That's a near-record crest.

Friday, May 6th 2022, 8:08 am

By: News On 6

CHEROKEE COUTY, Oklahoma -

Breaking News Update 9:40 a.m. 5/6/2022:

Meteorologist Stephen Nehrenz says the Illinois River near Tahlequah has started to slowly recede after cresting at 27.53 feet early on Friday morning.

This is a breaking news update, the original story can be found below.

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In Cherokee County, the Illinois River is more than 26 feet high. That's a near-record crest.

Throughout Cherokee County, crews are assessing and trying to fix damaged roads, like Indian Road near the Cherokee-Sequoyah County Line.

Scott Pettus with Tahlequah-Cherokee County Emergency Management says four major highways and some county roads are shut down. He says crews and volunteers are working 24/7.

Outfitters along the Illinois River are having to close because of the high water.

All American Floats were forced to empty their building and cancel their reservations through this weekend due to the flooding. Some of their buses even got stuck in high water.

Related Story: Need to Know: Oklahoma Lake Levels

Citizens can report damage to the emergency management office by calling 918-456-2894.