Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern
River flow & level · USGS gauge 01573000 · Pennsylvania · drains 337 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 3:15 PM · streamflow
The Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern is running 186 cfs, 108% of the median flow for October 26 (172 cfs, 107 years). Gage height is 0.59 ft, 8.4 ft below flood stage (9.0 ft). Flow is down 4% from 24 hours ago.
Streamflow
cubic feet per secondReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumAction (7.0 ft) is 6.4 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (9.0 ft) is 8.4 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (12.0 ft) is 11.4 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (15.0 ft) is 14.4 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETWater 53°F, flow 108% of normal, flow steady, light WNW wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:36 AM–8:36 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp53°Fmeasured Oct 26, 3:30 PM · Swatara Creek near Palmyra, PA, 6 mi away
- Air temphigh 69°F / low 45°FSunny
- WindLight WNW1–7 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 12
- Flow108% of normalFlow steady (-4% in 24 h)
Official Pennsylvania fishing report: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission — Biologist reports
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:29 AM · Sunset 6:10 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:12 PM–2:12 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:36 AM–8:36 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:40 PM–6:40 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 12:12 PM–2:12 PM Minor 7:36 AM–8:36 AM · 5:40 PM–6:40 PM Light wind 1–7 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:41 AM–2:41 AM · 1:11 PM–3:11 PM Minor 8:54 AM–9:54 AM · 6:20 PM–7:20 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:41 AM–3:41 AM · 2:13 PM–4:13 PM Minor 10:11 AM–11:11 AM · 7:12 PM–8:12 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:45 AM–4:45 AM · 3:18 PM–5:18 PM Minor 11:22 AM–12:22 PM · 8:14 PM–9:14 PM Calm wind 0–7 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:50 AM–5:50 AM · 4:21 PM–6:21 PM Minor 12:21 PM–1:21 PM · 9:25 PM–10:25 PM Light wind 2–7 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:52 AM–6:52 AM · 5:22 PM–7:22 PM Minor 1:09 PM–2:09 PM · 10:41 PM–11:41 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:50 AM–6:50 AM · 5:17 PM–7:17 PM Minor 12:47 PM–1:47 PM · 10:56 PM–11:56 PM Light wind 1–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the river is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page; water temperature measured by USGS at Swatara Creek near Palmyra, PA, 6 mi away. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 40.40, -76.58 (moon times from astronomical equations, Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern local time).
Weather & wind at Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon69° / 45°SunnyWind W 6 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday64° / 41°SunnyWind N 3 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday66° / 47°Partly SunnyWind SE 1 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 40.403, -76.577 (grid CTP), issued Oct 26, 2:21 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Flood stages
NOAA NWS gauge HTVP1- Action stage7 ft+6.4 ft from now
- Minor stage9 ft+8.4 ft from now
- Moderate stage12 ft+11.4 ft from now
- Major stage15 ft+14.4 ft from now
- Record crest25.6 ft1889
October 26 in history
107 years of flow records- Today186 cfs
- Same date last year95.8 cfs2025
- Median172 cfs
- Normal range97.0 cfs – 414 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19193,310 cfs1977
- Lowest since 191920.0 cfs1942
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 188 | -4% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 196 | -7% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 211 | -8% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 229 | -8% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 248 | -8% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 271 | -10% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 301 | -11% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 339 | -17% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 406 | -30% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 577 | +19% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Swatara Creek near Palmyra6 mi · River258 cfsstage 3.41 ft
- Swatara Creek near Hershey9 mi · River272 cfs86% of normal
- Swatara Creek at Middletown17 mi · River2.15 ftstage 2.15 ft
- Susquehanna River at Harrisburg19 mi · River11,800 cfs113% of normal
- West Conewago Creek near Manchester23 mi · River109 cfs87% of normal
- Susquehanna River at Marietta24 mi · River12,800 cfs120% of normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 01573000 — Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern, PA
- Location
- 40.4025, -76.5772 · Pennsylvania
- Drainage area
- 337 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1919–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 3:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge HTVP1 — National Water Prediction Service
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.