Rivers in Pennsylvania

Swatara Creek at Middletown

Dauphin County, PennsylvaniaNWS MTLP1USGS 01573600State College office

Below flood stage
3.56ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 11:15 PM EDT

Flood stage
11.00 ft
Forecast crest
3.50 ftThu, Sep 24, 2:00 AM EDT
Record crest
23.29 ft2011

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood18.00 ft
Moderate flood15.00 ft
Minor flood11.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 23.29 ftFlood of Record. Level of flooding associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee on September 9 2011.
  2. 20.00 ftWidespread flooding of structures...including the trailer park at Harborton Place and Caravan Court.
  3. 18.00 ftWidespread flooding occurs. Numerous homes are affected by high water. Route 230 is affected. Flooding begins in the vicinity of Hoffer Park.
  4. 15.00 ftFlooding begins in the vicinity of Few Avenue and near the community swimming pool.
  5. 12.00 ftBoth banks overflow upstream of the Vine Street Bridge and several basements are affected.
  6. 11.00 ftMinor overbank flooding begins near the Vine Street Bridge downstream to the Susquehanna River.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding25%
Moderate flooding9%
Major flooding6%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

16 crests on NOAA’s list since 2008.

#DateStage
1September 9, 201123.29 ft
2March 12, 201116.36 ft
3July 26, 201816.19 ft
4December 26, 202013.68 ft
5September 3, 202113.46 ft
6February 5, 202213.37 ft
7March 8, 201112.67 ft
8April 18, 201112.63 ft
9April 5, 202412.57 ft
10February 23, 202612.46 ft
11January 14, 201411.81 ft
12September 12, 201811.76 ft
13December 19, 202311.05 ft
14November 24, 20119.97 ft
15October 2, 20108.87 ft
16December 13, 20088.61 ft

Most recent crests

  • February 23, 2026: 12.46 ft
  • April 5, 2024: 12.57 ft
  • December 19, 2023: 11.05 ft
  • February 5, 2022: 13.37 ft
  • September 3, 2021: 13.46 ft
  • December 26, 2020: 13.68 ft
  • September 12, 2018: 11.76 ft
  • July 26, 2018: 16.19 ft
  • January 14, 2014: 11.81 ft
  • November 24, 2011: 9.97 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. Gauge reading may be affected by ice. Forecast flows are unadjusted for ice.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.