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Swatara Creek near Hershey

Highest listed crest 26.80 ftFlood stage 7.0 ft53 crests since 1975

The Swatara Creek near Hershey crested at major flood stage 8 times among the 53 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1975 to 2024. The highest, 26.80 ft on September 8, 2011, was major flooding, 19.80 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Swatara Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.80 ft
September 8, 2011; 72,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
7.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
8
21st of 170 gauges in Pennsylvania
Most recent flood crest
April 4, 2024
7.36 ft, minor flooding
Location
Dauphin County
Near Elizabethtown (10.7 mi), Harrisburg (11.5 mi), Lebanon (13.3 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Swatara Creek near Hershey
Action stage6.02Jan 21, 1995The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)7.041Apr 4, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage10.02Mar 12, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.08Sep 3, 2021Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

53 crests from 1975 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Swatara Creek near Hershey, 1975 to 2024 51015202530ft Flood stage 7.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Sep 27, 1975: 15.36 ft, major flooding; 29,400 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1976: 9.44 ft, minor floodingOct 10, 1976: 9.18 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1977: 7.15 ft, minor floodingDec 21, 1977: 7.50 ft, minor floodingJan 27, 1978: 9.19 ft, minor floodingMar 27, 1978: 8.21 ft, minor floodingJan 25, 1979: 14.43 ft, major flooding; 26,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1979: 8.94 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1983: 9.45 ft, minor floodingDec 14, 1983: 7.69 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 1984: 7.19 ft, minor floodingMar 15, 1986: 7.30 ft, minor floodingSep 14, 1987: 7.69 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 1988: 8.16 ft, minor floodingMay 7, 1989: 7.32 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1989: 8.31 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1992: 6.98 ft, action stageNov 29, 1993: 10.33 ft, moderate flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondDec 6, 1993: 7.62 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1994: 7.00 ft, minor floodingJan 21, 1995: 6.92 ft, action stageJan 20, 1996: 14.30 ft, major flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1996: 9.11 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2000: 8.00 ft, minor floodingSep 19, 2004: 14.27 ft, major flooding; 26,000 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2004: 7.01 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 2005: 7.01 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 2005: 7.51 ft, minor floodingApr 3, 2005: 8.01 ft, minor floodingJun 29, 2006: 16.12 ft, major floodingMar 7, 2011: 7.44 ft, minor flooding; 9,494 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 2011: 10.97 ft, moderate flooding; 17,140 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 2011: 8.34 ft, minor flooding; 11,380 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2011: 26.80 ft, major flooding; 72,500 cubic feet per secondSep 29, 2011: 7.40 ft, minor flooding; 9,410 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 2011: 7.16 ft, minor flooding; 8,920 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2013: 7.54 ft, minor flooding; 9,700 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 7.08 ft, minor flooding; 8,760 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2016: 7.84 ft, minor flooding; 10,320 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2017: 7.73 ft, minor flooding; 10,096 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 2018: 7.33 ft, minor flooding; 9,266 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2018: 7.30 ft, minor flooding; 9,204 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2018: 17.08 ft, major flooding; 36,216 cubic feet per secondAug 14, 2018: 9.24 ft, minor flooding; 13,285 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 2019: 7.14 ft, minor flooding; 8,879 cubic feet per secondNov 2, 2019: 8.52 ft, minor flooding; 11,763 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2020: 7.24 ft, minor flooding; 9,082 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 2020: 8.94 ft, minor flooding; 12,574 cubic feet per secondSep 3, 2021: 14.01 ft, major flooding; 23,078 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 2023: 7.98 ft, minor flooding; 10,626 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 7.82 ft, minor flooding; 10,285 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2024: 7.36 ft, minor flooding; 9,327 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.80 ft, Sep 8, 2011 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Swatara Creek near Hershey 1970s: 9 1980s: 8 1990s: 5 2000s: 7 2010s: 16 16 2020s: 6 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

The 50 highest of 53 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Swatara Creek near Hershey
1Sep 8, 201126.80+19.80Major72,500
2Jul 26, 201817.08+10.08Major36,216
3Jun 29, 200616.12+9.12Major—
4Sep 27, 197515.36+8.36Major29,400
5Jan 25, 197914.43+7.43Major26,600
6Jan 20, 199614.30+7.30Major26,000
7Sep 19, 200414.27+7.27Major26,000
8Sep 3, 202114.01+7.01Major23,078
9Mar 12, 201110.97+3.97Moderate17,140
10Nov 29, 199310.33+3.33Moderate16,500
11Apr 16, 19839.45+2.45Minor—
12Jan 27, 19769.44+2.44Minor—
13Aug 14, 20189.24+2.24Minor13,285
14Jan 27, 19789.19+2.19Minor—
15Oct 10, 19769.18+2.18Minor—
16Jan 28, 19969.11+2.11Minor13,500
17Feb 26, 19798.94+1.94Minor—
18Dec 26, 20208.94+1.94Minor12,574
19Nov 2, 20198.52+1.52Minor11,763
20Apr 17, 20118.34+1.34Minor11,380
21May 17, 19898.31+1.31Minor—
22Mar 27, 19788.21+1.21Minor—
23May 22, 19888.16+1.16Minor—
24Apr 3, 20058.01+1.01Minor—
25Mar 22, 20008.00+1.00Minor—
26Dec 19, 20237.98+0.98Minor10,626
27Feb 26, 20167.84+0.84Minor10,320
28Jan 11, 20247.82+0.82Minor10,285
29Apr 8, 20177.73+0.73Minor10,096
30Dec 14, 19837.69+0.69Minor—
31Sep 14, 19877.69+0.69Minor—
32Dec 6, 19937.62+0.62Minor—
33Oct 12, 20137.54+0.54Minor9,700
34Mar 29, 20057.51+0.51Minor—
35Dec 21, 19777.50+0.50Minor—
36Mar 7, 20117.44+0.44Minor9,494
37Sep 29, 20117.40+0.40Minor9,410
38Apr 4, 20247.36+0.36Minor9,327
39Jan 24, 20187.33+0.33Minor9,266
40May 7, 19897.32+0.32Minor—
41Mar 15, 19867.30+0.30Minor—
42Jun 29, 20187.30+0.30Minor9,204
43May 1, 20207.24+0.24Minor9,082
44May 30, 19847.19+0.19Minor—
45Nov 24, 20117.16+0.16Minor8,920
46Mar 5, 19777.15+0.15Minor—
47Apr 16, 20197.14+0.14Minor8,879
48May 1, 20147.08+0.08Minor8,760
49Sep 29, 20047.01+0.01Minor—
50Jan 15, 20057.01+0.01Minor—

The worst floods along the Swatara Creek

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

September 8, 2011: 26.80 ft here, major flooding

July 26, 2018: 17.08 ft here, major flooding

June 29, 2006: 16.12 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Swatara Creek

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

Flood gauges on the Swatara Creek
Harper TavernPA9.025.60 ft, Jun 1, 188911
Hershey this gaugePA7.026.80 ft, Sep 8, 20118
MiddletownPA11.023.29 ft, Sep 9, 20111

Other gauges in Dauphin County

Flood gauges in Dauphin County
Harrisburg17.033.27 ft, Jun 24, 19728
Middletown11.023.29 ft, Sep 9, 20111

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HERP1, 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.