Swatara Creek near Hershey
River flow & level · USGS gauge 01573560 · Pennsylvania · drains 483 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 11:45 AM · streamflow
The Swatara Creek at Hershey is running 280 cfs, 89% of the median flow for October 26 (315 cfs, 50 years). Gage height is 1.78 ft, 5.2 ft below flood stage (7.0 ft). Flow is down 5% 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 (6.0 ft) is 4.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMinor (7.0 ft) is 5.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chartModerate (10.0 ft) is 8.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chartMajor (14.0 ft) is 12.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Swatara Creek near Hershey fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETWater 50°F, flow 89% of normal, flow steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:36 AM–8:36 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp50°Fmeasured Oct 26, 12:30 PM · Swatara Creek near Palmyra, PA, 3 mi away
- Air temphigh 69°F / low 46°FSunny
- WindCalm0–7 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 12
- Flow89% of normalFlow steady (-5% 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)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:29 AM · Sunset 6:10 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:13 PM–2:13 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 | 6/10Good | Major 12:13 PM–2:13 PM Minor 7:36 AM–8:36 AM · 5:40 PM–6:40 PM Calm wind 0–7 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 · 6:21 PM–7:21 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:42 AM–3:42 AM · 2:13 PM–4:13 PM Minor 10:11 AM–11:11 AM · 7:12 PM–8:12 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:46 AM–4:46 AM · 3:18 PM–5:18 PM Minor 11:22 AM–12:22 PM · 8:15 PM–9:15 PM Light wind 1–7 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:50 AM–5:50 AM · 4:22 PM–6:22 PM Minor 12:21 PM–1:21 PM · 9:26 PM–10:26 PM Calm 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 1–4 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)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
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, 3 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 40.30, -76.67 (moon times from astronomical equations, Swatara Creek near Hershey local time).
Weather & wind at Swatara Creek near Hershey
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon69° / 46°SunnyWind W 6 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday66° / 41°SunnyWind N 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday66° / 45°Mostly SunnyWind SE 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 40.298, -76.668 (grid CTP), issued Oct 26, 12:06 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 HERP1- Action stage6 ft+4.2 ft from now
- Minor stage7 ft+5.2 ft from now
- Moderate stage10 ft+8.2 ft from now
- Major stage14 ft+12.2 ft from now
- Record crest26.8 ft2011
October 26 in history
50 years of flow records- Today280 cfs
- Same date last year144 cfs2025
- Median315 cfs
- Normal range192 cfs – 630 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19763,380 cfs1977
- Lowest since 197676.7 cfs2025
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 281 | -5% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 297 | -6% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 315 | -7% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 337 | -8% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 366 | -8% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 396 | -9% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 436 | -10% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 487 | -17% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 589 | -24% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 771 | +15% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Swatara Creek near Palmyra3 mi · River260 cfsstage 3.42 ft
- Swatara Creek at Middletown8 mi · River2.16 ftstage 2.16 ft
- Swatara Creek at Harper Tavern9 mi · River186 cfs108% of normal
- Susquehanna River at Harrisburg12 mi · River11,900 cfs114% of normal
- West Conewago Creek near Manchester15 mi · River109 cfs87% of normal
- Susquehanna River at Marietta18 mi · River12,700 cfs119% of normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 01573560 — Swatara Creek near Hershey, PA
- Location
- 40.2984, -76.6677 · Pennsylvania
- Drainage area
- 483 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1976–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 11:45 AM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge HERP1 — 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.