Susquehanna River at Wilkes Barre, PA
River level and flood forecast · Luzerne County
The river is 20.8 ft below flood stage (22 ft).
Forecast to hold near 1.2 ft through Thu, Oct 15, 2 PM.
Flow: 3,900 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 2:48 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 30 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 28 ft |
| Flood stage | 22 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (September 9, 2011) | 42.66 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 48.1 ftHeight of the instrument shelf. Inundation at this point will stop gauge from operating.
- 42.66 ftRecord flood stage of September 9, 2011. Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
- 41 ftMaximum effective design of levee protection for the city of Wilkes-Barre. Levee height above this level may not provide protection.
- 40.9 ftFlood stage from Hurricane Agnes, June 24, 1972.
- 36 ftNescopeck borough begins to flood.
- 35 ftDundee area in Hanover Township begins to flood. US Route 11 in Edwardsville floods.
- 33 ftMocanaqua begins to flood.
- 32 ftMain Street in Shickshinny floods.
- 31 ftHollenback Park in Wilkes-Barre, Duryea and West Pittston are affected. The Brookside area begins to flood.
- 30 ftMajor flooding begins. US Route 11 in Avondale is covered by flood water. Main Street in Shickshinny begins to flood. Flooding begins to affect areas of Wilkes-Barre upstream of North Street bridge, including the Court House.
- 29 ftUS Route 11 in Shickshinny is closed. River Road in Port Blanchard and West Pittston begin to flood. PP&L Riverlands facilities begin to flood.
- 28 ftModerate flooding begins. US Route 11 in West Nanticoke is closed. Canal Street in West Nanticoke begins to flood.
- 27 ftUS Route 11 in West Nanticoke and River Road in Plainsville begin to flood.
- 24 ftCanal Street in Shickshinny and lowlands in Pittston begin to flood.
- 22 ftMinor flooding begins. Lowlands in Plainsville, Plymouth Flats, West Nanticoke and Shickshinny flood. Maximum effective design of levee protection in the City of Wilkes-Barre is 41 feet.
Highest crests on record
- 42.66 ft — September 9, 2011
- 40.91 ft — June 24, 1972
- 35.06 ft — September 27, 1975
- 34.96 ft — September 19, 2004
- 34.45 ft — January 20, 1996
Recent crests: 22.51 ft (December 19, 2023) · 25.63 ft (December 26, 2020) · 28.77 ft (August 15, 2018) · 27.4 ft (January 25, 2018) · 22.83 ft (January 24, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamSusquehanna River at Meshoppen, PA
- DownstreamSusquehanna River at Bloomsburg, PA
- Lackawanna River at Old Forge, PA
- Lehigh River at White Haven, PA
- Wapwallopen Creek near Wapwallopen, PA
- Lackawanna River at Parker St Bridge, PA
- Tunkhannock Creek at Tunkhannock, PA
- Huntington Creek at Jonestown, PA
- Lackawanna River at Archbald, PA
- Fishing Creek at Grassmere Park, PA
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (WBRP1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.