ALERT: Update on status of the nationwide data transmission error that prevents stream gauge data collected at affected locations from being displayed on the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services (AHPS) webpages. The USGS has restored the transmission from all of their gauges or has placed them in a seasonal outage (some Alaska gauges). There are a few USGS gauges that the NWS is not yet receiving the new transmissions and NWS is working to get that data by alternate means. A map of the status of USGS gauges is here. The status map of gauge outages from other agencies is here. The situation has greatly improved and will continue to improve but at a slower pace. The outage maps will now be updated once per week on Thursday. We apologize for the service interruption and hope to have the data restored as soon as possible.

Weather Forecast Office State College, PA

Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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Probability Information Weekly Chance of Exceeding Levels Chance of Exceeding Levels During Entire Period Short-term Probabilistic Guidance (Experimental)

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Printable Image About this graph Tabular Data (UTC) Tabular Data (EST) Datum: Not Available Metadata

NOTE: Forecasts for the Swatara Creek near Hershey are issued routinely year-round.

Default Hydrograph Scale to Flood Categories   Return to Area Map

Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 14 Moderate Flood Stage: 10 Flood Stage: 7 Action Stage: 6 Low Stage (in feet): 0 Historic Crests (1) 26.80 ft on 09/08/2011 (2) 17.08 ft on 07/26/2018 (3) 16.12 ft on 06/29/2006 (4) 15.36 ft on 09/27/1975 (5) 14.43 ft on 01/25/1979 Show More Historic Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Recent Crests (1) 9.24 ft on 08/14/2018 (2) 17.08 ft on 07/26/2018 (3) 7.30 ft on 06/29/2018 (4) 7.33 ft on 01/24/2018 (5) 7.73 ft on 04/08/2017 Show More Recent Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Low Water Records (1) 1.20 ft on 07/14/1983 (2) 1.40 ft on 09/15/1980 (3) 1.40 ft on 08/15/1987 (4) 1.44 ft on 09/12/1977 (5) 1.44 ft on 07/17/1988 For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov. Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers not showing? Why aren't the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers showing on the ESRI Map? Possible reasons: There are no FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers for the location which you are viewing on ESRI Maps. The FEMA Web Mapping Service (WMS) is down. Note: Your zoom level may have changed. ESRI's zoom levels must be between 14 and 16 to show National Flood Hazard layers.

Zoom Level:16 Legend FEMA Layer Gauge Location Disclaimer Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

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27	FEMA 0.2% Annual Chance Flood Level (500-year flood).
26.8	Flood of record from the flooding in September, 2011. Maximum recordable gage height (stage sensor operational limit). Water levels above this stage will not be reported in real time.
20	FEMA 1% Annual Chance Flood Level (100-year flood).
18	Flood waters begin to reach the Route 39 Bridge (Hershey Road) northwest of Hershey. FEMA 2% Annual Chance Flood Level (50-year flood).
16	Numerous homes adjacent to the creek are affected by high water.
14	Numerous homes adjacent to the creek are affected by high water.
12	High water affects several homes upstream of the Route 39 bridge. FEMA 10% Annual Chance Flood Level (10-year flood).
10	A few homes adjacent to the creek upstream of the Route 39 bridge flood.
8	The right, or north bank overflows. Several roads are affected.
7	The right, or north bank begins to overflow. Several roadways upstream of the gage are affected by high water.
Photos (1) looking upstream (2) view of the gagehouse (3) looking downstream

About This Location

Latitude: 40.298333° N, Longitude: 76.668056° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD83/WGS84 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 7 ft Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps Vertical Datum Elevation (gauge height = 0) Elevation (gauge height = flood stage) Elevation information source NAVD88 Not Available Not Available Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps NGVD 29 325.9 ft 332.9 ft Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks MSL Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks Other Not Available Not Available   Current/Historical Observations: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data and Site Info for Hershey

Additional Information

Potential River Levels Used to Estimate the Chance of Flooding and the Range of Possible River Levels 3 Day (SREF) 7 Day (NAEFS) 7 Day (GEFS)     Note: Use the official hydrograph at the top of this web page for river levels within the next 48 hours. See the Product Description Document link for more details on the interpretation of the 3,7 day graphics.  Click individual graphics to enlarge.

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary Automated Flood Warning Systems Ohio Basin Water Resources Outlook Inundation Mapping Locations

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management Flood Damage Costs/Fatalities in the US, 1903 - 2014 AHPS Web Brochure Snow Information Ensemble River Forecasts Hourly Precipitation

Collaborative Agencies The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here. NWS Information National Weather Service State College Weather Forecast Office 328 Innovation Boulevard, Suite 330 State College, PA 16803 (814) 231-2408 Ask Questions/Webmaster Page last modified: 21-Dec-2016 5:21 PM Disclaimer Credits Glossary Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities