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Lackawanna River at Old Forge

Highest listed crest 20.05 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft12 crests since 1934

The Lackawanna River at Old Forge crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 12 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1934 to 2021. The highest, 20.05 ft on August 19, 1955, was major flooding, 9.05 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.05 ft
August 19, 1955; 31,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
11.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
4
56th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
September 2, 2021
13.50 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Lackawanna County
Near Scranton (5.1 mi), Dunmore (8.1 mi), Kingston (9.8 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 Old Forge
Action stage7.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)11.03Apr 3, 2005Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.05Sep 2, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.04Sep 18, 2004Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

12 crests from 1934 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Lackawanna River at Old Forge, 1934 to 2021 10121416182022ft Flood stage 11.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jul 28, 1934: 17.00 ft, major flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1940: 11.86 ft, minor flooding; 15,400 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1942: 15.30 ft, moderate flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1955: 20.05 ft, major flooding; 31,000 cubic feet per secondSep 27, 1985: 16.49 ft, major flooding; 24,000 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1986: 11.80 ft, minor flooding; 15,300 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1996: 15.58 ft, moderate flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 16.70 ft, major flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 11.76 ft, minor flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2006: 13.39 ft, moderate flooding; 17,100 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2018: 14.44 ft, moderate flooding; 19,119 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 13.50 ft, moderate flooding; 17,270 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.05 ft, Aug 19, 1955 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Lackawanna River at Old Forge 1930s: 1 1940s: 2 1950s: 1 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 3 3 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Lackawanna River at Old Forge
1Aug 19, 195520.05+9.05Major31,000
2Jul 28, 193417.00+6.00Major25,000
3Sep 18, 200416.70+5.70Major23,800
4Sep 27, 198516.49+5.49Major24,000
5Jan 19, 199615.58+4.58Moderate22,300
6May 23, 194215.30+4.30Moderate21,800
7Aug 14, 201814.44+3.44Moderate19,119
8Sep 2, 202113.50+2.50Moderate17,270
9Jun 27, 200613.39+2.39Moderate17,100
10Mar 31, 194011.86+0.86Minor15,400
11Mar 15, 198611.80+0.80Minor15,300
12Apr 3, 200511.76+0.76Minor14,000

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.

September 18, 2004: 16.70 ft here, major flooding

  • ArchbaldPA · Sep 18, 2004 · 9.07 ft · Moderate

January 19, 1996: 15.58 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ArchbaldPA · Jan 19, 1996 · 9.32 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
ArchbaldPA8.010.58 ft, May 22, 19422
Old Forge this gaugePA11.020.05 ft, Aug 19, 19554

Other gauges in Lackawanna County

Flood gauges in Lackawanna County
Archbald8.010.58 ft, May 22, 19422

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge OFRP1, 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.