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Lackawanna River at Archbald

Highest listed crest 10.58 ftFlood stage 8.0 ft66 crests since 1940

The Lackawanna River at Archbald crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 66 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2006. The highest, 10.58 ft on May 22, 1942, was major flooding, 2.58 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Lackawanna River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
10.58 ft
May 22, 1942; 9,510 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
8.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
2
82nd of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
June 28, 2006
9.92 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Lackawanna County
Near Dunmore (7.1 mi), Scranton (9.4 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Lackawanna River at Archbald
Action stage6.211Nov 8, 1997The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)8.04Apr 2, 2005Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage9.03Jun 28, 2006Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.02Sep 4, 2004Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

66 crests from 1940 to 2006. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Lackawanna River at Archbald, 1940 to 2006 24681012ft Flood stage 8.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Mar 31, 1940: 7.36 ft, action stage; 4,680 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1941: 4.98 ft, below flood stage; 2,050 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 1942: 10.58 ft, major flooding; 9,510 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 5.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1943: 6.22 ft, action stage; 3,380 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1945: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,520 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1946: 6.32 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1947: 8.11 ft, minor flooding; 5,880 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1948: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1950: 5.76 ft, below flood stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondNov 25, 1950: 7.43 ft, action stage; 4,920 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1952: 5.72 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1954: 5.84 ft, below flood stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 7.50 ft, action stage; 5,050 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1955: 8.02 ft, minor flooding; 5,770 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1957: 5.20 ft, below flood stage; 2,210 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1958: 5.60 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,380 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1960: 6.04 ft, below flood stage; 3,140 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1961: 5.68 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1962: 4.92 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1963: 5.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,259 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1964: 6.11 ft, below flood stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1965: 3.59 ft, below flood stage; 714 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1966: 4.12 ft, below flood stage; 1,090 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1967: 4.57 ft, below flood stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1968: 4.42 ft, below flood stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1969: 5.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1970: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1971: 4.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 6.09 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondNov 9, 1972: 5.91 ft, below flood stage; 2,760 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1973: 5.06 ft, below flood stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1975: 5.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondOct 19, 1975: 5.39 ft, below flood stage; 2,140 cubic feet per secondOct 9, 1976: 7.25 ft, action stage; 4,590 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1978: 5.66 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1979: 5.49 ft, below flood stage; 2,250 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1980: 5.36 ft, below flood stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1981: 5.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1982: 5.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,700 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 5.93 ft, below flood stage; 2,560 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1984: 6.02 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1985: 7.84 ft, action stage; 5,030 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1986: 8.22 ft, minor flooding; 5,390 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1987: 6.30 ft, action stage; 2,870 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1988: 5.28 ft, below flood stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 1989: 6.79 ft, action stage; 3,440 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 1990: 4.89 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondNov 10, 1990: 5.37 ft, below flood stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1992: 4.70 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1993: 5.86 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1994: 5.99 ft, below flood stage; 2,540 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1995: 4.05 ft, below flood stage; 899 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 9.32 ft, moderate flooding; 7,190 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1996: 6.43 ft, action stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondNov 8, 1997: 6.43 ft, action stage; 3,050 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1998: 4.99 ft, below flood stage; 1,610 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1999: 5.46 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2000: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 2,610 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2001: 5.61 ft, below flood stage; 2,180 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2002: 5.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,930 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 2004: 10.21 ft, major flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 9.07 ft, moderate flooding; 6,770 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2005: 8.80 ft, minor flooding; 6,330 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 9.92 ft, moderate flooding; 8,250 cubic feet per second Highest, 10.58 ft, May 22, 1942 1940195019601970198019902000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Lackawanna River at Archbald 1940s: 2 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 4 4 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 66 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Lackawanna River at Archbald
1May 22, 194210.58+2.58Major9,510
2Sep 4, 200410.21+2.21Major8,800
3Jun 28, 20069.92+1.92Moderate8,250
4Jan 19, 19969.32+1.32Moderate7,190
5Sep 18, 20049.07+1.07Moderate6,770
6Apr 2, 20058.80+0.80Minor6,330
7Mar 15, 19868.22+0.22Minor5,390
8Apr 5, 19478.11+0.11Minor5,880
9Oct 15, 19558.02+0.02Minor5,770
10Sep 27, 19857.84−0.16Action5,030
11Aug 19, 19557.50−0.50Action5,050
12Nov 25, 19507.43−0.57Action4,920
13Mar 31, 19407.36−0.64Action4,680
14Oct 9, 19767.25−0.75Action4,590
15May 6, 19896.79−1.21Action3,440
16Nov 8, 19966.43−1.57Action3,050
17Nov 8, 19976.43−1.57Action3,050
18May 28, 19466.32−1.68Action3,500
19Apr 4, 19876.30−1.70Action2,870
20Nov 9, 19436.22−1.78Action3,380
21Mar 10, 19646.11−1.89Below flood stage3,260
22Jun 22, 19726.09−1.91Below flood stage3,000
23Apr 4, 19606.04−1.96Below flood stage3,140
24Feb 28, 20006.03−1.97Below flood stage2,610
25Apr 5, 19846.02−1.98Below flood stage2,770
26Apr 7, 19945.99−2.01Below flood stage2,540
27Apr 16, 19835.93−2.07Below flood stage2,560
28Nov 9, 19725.91−2.09Below flood stage2,760
29Sep 25, 19755.90−2.10Below flood stage2,750
30Dec 30, 19425.87−2.13Below flood stage2,960
31Apr 1, 19935.86−2.14Below flood stage2,410
32Apr 15, 19545.84−2.16Below flood stage2,960
33Mar 28, 19505.76−2.24Below flood stage2,840
34Dec 11, 19525.72−2.28Below flood stage2,780
35Feb 25, 19615.68−2.32Below flood stage2,770
36Jan 9, 19785.66−2.34Below flood stage2,450
37Apr 9, 20015.61−2.39Below flood stage2,180
38Apr 6, 19585.60−2.40Below flood stage2,660
39Mar 21, 19485.58−2.42Below flood stage2,660
40Jan 25, 19795.49−2.51Below flood stage2,250
41Feb 11, 19815.47−2.53Below flood stage2,100
42Jul 19, 19455.46−2.54Below flood stage2,520
43Jan 24, 19995.46−2.54Below flood stage2,030
44Oct 19, 19755.39−2.61Below flood stage2,140
45Nov 10, 19905.37−2.63Below flood stage1,930
46Mar 21, 19805.36−2.64Below flood stage2,000
47Jan 22, 19595.35−2.65Below flood stage2,380
48Apr 21, 19705.35−2.65Below flood stage2,350
49May 13, 20025.35−2.65Below flood stage1,930
50May 20, 19885.28−2.72Below flood stage1,850

The worst floods along the Lackawanna River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Lackawanna River that crested above flood stage within a week.

May 22, 1942: 10.58 ft here, major flooding

  • Old ForgePA · May 23, 1942 · 15.30 ft · Moderate

June 28, 2006: 9.92 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Old ForgePA · Jun 27, 2006 · 13.39 ft · Moderate

January 19, 1996: 9.32 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Old ForgePA · Jan 19, 1996 · 15.58 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Lackawanna River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Lackawanna River
Archbald this gaugePA8.010.58 ft, May 22, 19422
Old ForgePA11.020.05 ft, Aug 19, 19554

Other gauges in Lackawanna County

Flood gauges in Lackawanna County
Old Forge11.020.05 ft, Aug 19, 19554

Lackawanna County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Pennsylvania

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ARHP1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.