Schuylkill River Crests In Pottstown

According to Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services, the Schuylkill River appears to have crested at 18.27 feet earlier this morning at Pottstown. 18 feet is moderate flood stage.

The most recent reading at 9:31 a.m. shows the river has gone down slightly to 18.21 feet.  Flood stage is 12.5 feet.  The current prediction is that the river will be back under flood stage at 2 am Sunday morning.

I did a quick check and observed the following:

the Hanover Street Bridge is closed, South Pottstown is closed and traffic is being forced to turn left and the bottom of the exit ramp at Hanover Street, Industrial Hwy is closed, a section of High Street near Pottsgrove Manor is under water and closed (observed from the Route 100 bridge), Memorial Park was closed yesterday, a number of streets leading to Industrial Hwy are closed a few blocks from the highway and the list goes on.  Riverside Drive in North Coventry is only accessible by boat!  Best to avoid those areas of Pottstown and North Coventry.

Susquehanna High At Williamsport And Lock Haven

Image via Wikipedia

The West Branch of the Susquehanna River will be one foot above flood stage in Lock Haven if the predicted 22 foot crest comes to pass.  Williamsport is predicted to see the river crest above 25 feet.  Fortunately, both communities have a levee system in place that protects the majority of residences and businesses in the flood plain.

The good news is that the drought warning for Lycoming County (and many other counties in the state) has been lifted with all the rain from Irene and Lee.

Harrisburg Under State of Emergency – Susquehanna To Crest At 26.2 Feet

Unlike Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg has no dike system in place.  The Susquehanna River is projected to crest at 26.2 feet or 9.2 feet above flood stage.  This will involve the evacuation of residential sections of the city (Shipoke, Front, Second, Green and Vaughn Streets).

Along with the City of Harrisburg, the Dauphin County Commissioners have declared a state of emergency.

Susquehanna River At Wilkes-Barre To Approach Agnes Levels

If the projection for the Susquehanna River at Wilkes-Barre to crest at 38.5 feet comes to pass, it will be the highest river level since Hurricane Agnes which crested at 40.91 feet in 1972.

Fortunately, since Hurricane Agnes, most the area is protected by a dike system that keeps water out of a significant portion of the flood plain.  The dike is good up to 41 feet for most of the Wyoming Valley.  However, a number of low-lying areas are already being evacuated.  The flood gates on the Market Street bridge are being installed tonight.

Schuylkill River At Pottstown Rising Fast

The Schuylkill River at Pottstown is above flood stage and rising fast.  Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services just raised their predicted crest to 20.5 feet or 8 feet about flood stage.  Major flood stage is 22 feet and above.

This afternoon’s major thunderstorm made the river rise almost two feet with in a matter of hours.  The crest is predicted to occur September 8th at 8 pm.

We will continue to update as things unfold.  Stay safe out there!