Search
Menu

Explore

Hazards

Analysis

Rankings

Reference

Schuylkill River at Reading

Highest listed crest 31.30 ftFlood stage 15.5 ft19 crests since 1972

The Schuylkill River at Reading crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 19 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2021. The highest, 31.30 ft on June 22, 1972, was major flooding, 15.80 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Schuylkill River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.30 ft
June 22, 1972; 86,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
15.5 ft
Major flooding from 22.0 ft
Crests at major
2
82nd of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
September 2, 2021
16.95 ft, minor flooding
Location
Berks County
Near Reading (0.6 mi), Wyomissing (1.5 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Schuylkill River at Reading
Action stage14.53Mar 11, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)15.57Sep 2, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.01Sep 8, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage22.02Jun 28, 2006Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

19 crests from 1972 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Schuylkill River at Reading, 1972 to 2021 101520253035ft Flood stage 15.5 ftMajor 22.0 ft Jun 22, 1972: 31.30 ft, major flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1979: 17.36 ft, minor flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1983: 17.50 ft, minor flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1983: 16.09 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondJan 20, 1996: 15.85 ft, minor flooding; 28,600 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1996: 15.02 ft, action stageOct 20, 1996: 15.83 ft, minor flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1996: 13.70 ft, below flood stageSep 17, 1999: 14.95 ft, action stage; 26,100 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2000: 12.44 ft, below flood stage; 19,600 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 2004: 12.18 ft, below flood stage; 19,000 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 16.24 ft, minor flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2005: 12.84 ft, below flood stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2006: 23.75 ft, major flooding; 54,500 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2011: 15.01 ft, action stage; 26,230 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 2011: 10.05 ft, below flood stageSep 8, 2011: 20.40 ft, moderate flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 11.57 ft, below flood stage; 17,540 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 2021: 16.95 ft, minor flooding; 31,570 cubic feet per second Highest, 31.30 ft, Jun 22, 1972 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Schuylkill River at Reading 1970s: 2 2 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 2 2010s: 1 2020s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Schuylkill River at Reading
1Jun 22, 197231.30+15.80Major86,000
2Jun 28, 200623.75+8.25Major54,500
3Sep 8, 201120.40+4.90Moderate42,900
4Apr 16, 198317.50+2.00Minor33,100
5Jan 25, 197917.36+1.86Minor37,500
6Sep 2, 202116.95+1.45Minor31,570
7Sep 18, 200416.24+0.74Minor29,400
8Dec 14, 198316.09+0.59Minor28,100
9Jan 20, 199615.85+0.35Minor28,600
10Oct 20, 199615.83+0.33Minor28,500
11Jan 28, 199615.02−0.48Action—
12Mar 11, 201115.01−0.49Action26,230
13Sep 17, 199914.95−0.55Action26,100
14Dec 2, 199613.70−1.80Below flood stage—
15Apr 3, 200512.84−2.66Below flood stage20,600
16Dec 17, 200012.44−3.06Below flood stage19,600
17Aug 13, 200412.18−3.32Below flood stage19,000
18May 1, 201411.57−3.93Below flood stage17,540
19Aug 29, 201110.05−5.45Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Schuylkill River

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

June 22, 1972: 31.30 ft here, major flooding

  • PottstownPA · Jun 23, 1972 · 29.97 ft · Major · its highest
  • NorristownPA · Jun 23, 1972 · 25.10 ft · Major
  • BernePA · Jun 22, 1972 · 19.00 ft · Major · its highest
  • LandingvillePA · Jun 22, 1972 · 17.36 ft · Major · its highest
  • PhiladelphiaPA · Jun 23, 1972 · 14.65 ft · Moderate

June 28, 2006: 23.75 ft here, major flooding

  • NorristownPA · Jun 28, 2006 · 19.13 ft · Major
  • BernePA · Jun 28, 2006 · 18.57 ft · Major
  • PottstownPA · Jun 29, 2006 · 20.84 ft · Moderate
  • PhiladelphiaPA · Jun 28, 2006 · 12.49 ft · Minor

September 8, 2011: 20.40 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PottstownPA · Sep 9, 2011 · 18.27 ft · Moderate
  • BernePA · Sep 8, 2011 · 15.45 ft · Moderate
  • NorristownPA · Sep 7, 2011 · 16.06 ft · Minor
  • PhiladelphiaPA · Sep 7, 2011 · 12.01 ft · Minor

Gauges on the Schuylkill River

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

Flood gauges on the Schuylkill River
LandingvillePA8.017.36 ft, Jun 22, 19722
BernePA12.019.00 ft, Jun 22, 19722
Reading this gaugePA15.531.30 ft, Jun 22, 19722
PottstownPA12.529.97 ft, Jun 23, 19721
NorristownPA13.026.85 ft, Sep 2, 202110
PhiladelphiaPA11.016.35 ft, Sep 2, 20211
Philadelphia near 30th StreetPA9.016.28 ft, Sep 2, 20211

Other gauges in Berks County

Flood gauges in Berks County
Berne12.019.00 ft, Jun 22, 19722
Reading10.515.65 ft, Jun 23, 19721

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RDRP1, 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.