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Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown

Highest listed crest 12.76 ftFlood stage 5.0 ft28 crests since 1935

The Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown crested at major flood stage 5 times among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1935 to 2024. The highest, 12.76 ft on August 4, 2020, was major flooding, 7.76 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Little Lehigh Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
12.76 ft
August 4, 2020
Flood stage
5.0 ft
Major flooding from 10.0 ft
Crests at major
5
44th of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
January 10, 2024
7.72 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lehigh County
Near Allentown (0.8 mi), Emmaus (3.3 mi), Bethlehem (6.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown
Action stage4.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)5.018Jan 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage8.05Sep 2, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage10.05Aug 4, 2020Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1935 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown, 1935 to 2024 468101214ft Flood stage 5.0 ftMajor 10.0 ft Jul 9, 1935: 9.50 ft, moderate floodingAug 18, 1955: 6.17 ft, minor flooding; 1,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1958: 6.30 ft, minor flooding; 1,960 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1969: 7.67 ft, minor flooding; 3,020 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1971: 7.56 ft, minor flooding; 5,550 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1972: 11.80 ft, major flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1973: 7.15 ft, minor floodingJan 27, 1976: 6.42 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 1979: 10.76 ft, major flooding; 9,890 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1987: 8.34 ft, moderate flooding; 5,970 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 1993: 6.09 ft, minor floodingOct 19, 1996: 7.62 ft, minor flooding; 5,030 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1999: 5.74 ft, minor flooding; 2,620 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 1999: 6.79 ft, minor flooding; 3,880 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 10.63 ft, major flooding; 9,670 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 7.69 ft, minor flooding; 5,138 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 10.93 ft, major flooding; 10,300 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 2011: 9.68 ft, moderate floodingMay 1, 2014: 6.31 ft, minor flooding; 2,353 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2018: 7.64 ft, minor flooding; 4,562 cubic feet per secondNov 3, 2018: 8.62 ft, moderate flooding; 6,133 cubic feet per secondAug 4, 2020: 12.76 ft, major floodingDec 1, 2020: 5.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,288 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 2020: 5.29 ft, minor flooding; 1,341 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 9.82 ft, moderate flooding; 7,124 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2023: 6.23 ft, minor flooding; 1,941 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2023: 5.83 ft, minor flooding; 1,650 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 2024: 7.72 ft, minor flooding; 3,557 cubic feet per second Highest, 12.76 ft, Aug 4, 2020 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 5 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 2000s: 3 2010s: 4 2020s: 7 7 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, Little Lehigh Creek near Allentown
1Aug 4, 202012.76+7.76Major—
2Jun 22, 197211.80+6.80Major11,800
3Oct 8, 200510.93+5.93Major10,300
4Jan 25, 197910.76+5.76Major9,890
5Sep 18, 200410.63+5.63Major9,670
6Sep 2, 20219.82+4.82Moderate7,124
7Aug 28, 20119.68+4.68Moderate—
8Jul 9, 19359.50+4.50Moderate—
9Nov 3, 20188.62+3.62Moderate6,133
10Sep 8, 19878.34+3.34Moderate5,970
11Jan 10, 20247.72+2.72Minor3,557
12Apr 3, 20057.69+2.69Minor5,138
13Jul 28, 19697.67+2.67Minor3,020
14Aug 14, 20187.64+2.64Minor4,562
15Oct 19, 19967.62+2.62Minor5,030
16Feb 13, 19717.56+2.56Minor5,550
17Jun 29, 19737.15+2.15Minor—
18Sep 16, 19996.79+1.79Minor3,880
19Jan 27, 19766.42+1.42Minor—
20May 1, 20146.31+1.31Minor2,353
21Feb 28, 19586.30+1.30Minor1,960
22Dec 18, 20236.23+1.23Minor1,941
23Aug 18, 19556.17+1.17Minor1,880
24Jul 28, 19936.09+1.09Minor—
25Dec 28, 20235.83+0.83Minor1,650
26Jan 19, 19995.74+0.74Minor2,620
27Dec 25, 20205.29+0.29Minor1,341
28Dec 1, 20205.15+0.15Minor1,288

The worst floods along the Little Lehigh Creek

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

August 4, 2020: 12.76 ft here, major flooding

  • AllentownPA · Aug 4, 2020 · 12.69 ft · Major · its highest

October 8, 2005: 10.93 ft here, major flooding

  • AllentownPA · Oct 8, 2005 · 11.05 ft · Moderate

September 18, 2004: 10.63 ft here, major flooding

  • AllentownPA · Sep 18, 2004 · 10.65 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Little Lehigh Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Little Lehigh Creek
TrexlertownPA4.56.74 ft, Jan 10, 20240
Allentown this gaugePA5.012.76 ft, Aug 4, 20205
AllentownPA8.012.69 ft, Aug 4, 20201

Other gauges in Lehigh County

Flood gauges in Lehigh County
Allentown8.011.82 ft, Aug 5, 20202
Bethlehem16.025.90 ft, May 23, 19423
Allentown8.012.69 ft, Aug 4, 20201
Trexlertown4.56.74 ft, Jan 10, 20240
Trexlertown4.56.70 ft, Jan 10, 20240

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALLP1, 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.