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Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir located in Illinois. The deepest point reaches about 67 feet, and the surface sits near 599 feet above sea level. It covers roughly 11,100 surface acres (about 17 square miles). Research-grade observations nearby include Muskellunge, Common Carp, Channel Catfish, and White Crappie. Other waters in the region include Lake Mattoon, Lake Decatur, and Clinton Lake. LakeRadar pulls readings from a mapped water gauge, so current water data is shown when the station reports. The page brings together an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, water readings, fishing conditions, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Current weather, wind, and activity conditions for Lake Shelbyville are updated throughout the day.
Updated
No active alerts for this lake as of the last check (Oct 11, 3:09 PM CDT). Alerts are re-checked automatically; see the official source for updates.
Overall Good (88/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Boating (98/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 96/100 across these hours. Wind 5 mph from the south-southwest. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 80° | 81° | 80° | 78° | 73° | 68° | 65° | 63° | 62° | 61° | 61° | 62° | 62° | 62° | 61° | 61° | 61° | 65° | 70° | 76° | 80° | 84° | 87° | 87° |
| Wind (kts) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Direction | NW | NW | W | W | — | — | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW |
| Gusts (kts) | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Precip % | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 3 PM CDT | 80°F | 2 mph NW (315°) | 6 mph | 0% | 2% | Sunny |
| Sun, 4 PM CDT | 81°F | 3 mph WNW (293°) | 6 mph | 0% | 2% | Sunny |
| Sun, 5 PM CDT | 80°F | 2 mph W (270°) | 5 mph | 0% | 1% | Sunny |
| Sun, 6 PM CDT | 78°F | 1 mph W (270°) | 4 mph | 0% | 2% | Clear |
| Sun, 7 PM CDT | 73°F | Calm | 2 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
| Sun, 8 PM CDT | 68°F | Calm | 2 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
| Sun, 9 PM CDT | 65°F | 1 mph S (180°) | 4 mph | 0% | 1% | Clear |
| Sun, 10 PM CDT | 63°F | 2 mph S (180°) | 5 mph | 0% | 5% | Clear |
| Sun, 11 PM CDT | 62°F | 2 mph S (180°) | 6 mph | 0% | 9% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 12 AM CDT | 61°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 7 mph | 0% | 35% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 1 AM CDT | 61°F | 3 mph S (180°) | 8 mph | 0% | 42% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 2 AM CDT | 62°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 8 mph | 0% | 45% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 3 AM CDT | 62°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 9 mph | 0% | 37% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 4 AM CDT | 62°F | 5 mph S (180°) | 10 mph | 0% | 37% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 5 AM CDT | 61°F | 5 mph SSW (203°) | 10 mph | 0% | 49% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 6 AM CDT | 61°F | 5 mph SSW (203°) | 10 mph | 0% | 32% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 7 AM CDT | 61°F | 5 mph SSW (203°) | 9 mph | 1% | 37% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 8 AM CDT | 65°F | 6 mph SSW (203°) | 12 mph | 1% | 40% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 9 AM CDT | 70°F | 6 mph SW (225°) | 13 mph | 1% | 56% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 10 AM CDT | 76°F | 7 mph SW (225°) | 14 mph | 2% | 37% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 11 AM CDT | 80°F | 8 mph SW (225°) | 15 mph | 2% | 16% | Sunny |
| Mon, 12 PM CDT | 84°F | 9 mph SW (225°) | 16 mph | 3% | 16% | Sunny |
| Mon, 1 PM CDT | 87°F | 9 mph SW (225°) | 17 mph | 3% | 6% | Sunny |
| Mon, 2 PM CDT | 87°F | 10 mph SW (225°) | 17 mph | 3% | 1% | Sunny |
| Mon, 3 PM CDT | 88°F | 10 mph SW (225°) | 17 mph | 3% | 2% | Sunny |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | This Afternoon October 11, 2026 | Tonight October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 | Saturday Night October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 82° | 60° | 89° | 69° | 90° | 69° | 80° | 61° | 74° | 53° | 64° | 38° | 57° | 35° |
| Wind | WNW 3 mph | SSW 0 to 5 mph | SW 5 to 10 mph | SSW 8 mph | SW 9 mph | SW 5 mph | W 5 mph | NNE 3 to 7 mph | E 8 mph | WSW 6 to 13 mph | NW 14 to 17 mph | NNW 8 to 15 mph | NNW 5 to 8 mph | ENE 3 mph |
| Gusts | 6 mph | 10 mph | 17 mph | 16 mph | 17 mph | 9 mph | 9 mph | 13 mph | 15 mph | 21 mph | 27 mph | 22 mph | 14 mph | 7 mph |
| Precip % | 0% | 0% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 43% | 82% | 82% | 76% | 76% | 36% | 5% | 1% | 1% |
| Forecast |
No active USGS or USACE telemetry gauge is currently mapped to Lake Shelbyville. Not available from a verified source for this lake.
Good for fishing (84/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 2 mph from the northwest. 0% chance of precipitation. Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Excellent for boating (98/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 2 mph from the northwest. Gusts to 6 mph. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Fair for sailing (70/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Gusts are within 4 mph of sustained wind, so the breeze is steady. No active official alerts for this lake. Working against it: Wind 2 mph is light; expect limited sailing. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Excellent for kayaking (98/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 2 mph from the northwest. Gusts to 6 mph. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of IL Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Lake Shelbyville is an important freshwater reservoir in IL, known for its dependable sport fishery, open cruising lanes, and scenic shoreline. Recreational boaters and anglers share its waters alongside migrating waterfowl and native wildlife. Public facilities and natural resource management are overseen by state and local natural resource agencies.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Current motorized watercraft registration mandatory. Practice Clean, Drain & Dry protocols: drain all livewells and inspect props before launching. Life jackets required for all passengers.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Muskellunge, Common Carp, Channel Catfish, White Crappie. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Lake Shelbyville is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 11, 3:09 PM CDT