Lackawanna River near Forest City Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Lackawanna River near Forest City in PA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location PA, United States
- Watershed upper susquehanna lackawanna
- Primary gauge 01534300 (USGS)
About Lackawanna River near Forest City
The Lackawanna River near Forest City is in the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna watershed in Pennsylvania.
The watershed
The station drains 38.8 sq mi (101 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area contributing water to this reading, not the whole watershed name on the map.
For people watching this reach, the main pattern is seasonal: the typical high point comes in April at 2.41 ft (0.73 m), and the typical low point comes in September at 1.69 ft (0.51 m). The usual spread is 8.7 in (22 cm). In practical terms, that is the difference a dock, a shallow crossing, or a small intake has to ride through over a normal year.
The extremes on record are wider than the typical seasonal range. The record high is 5.03 ft (1.53 m) in September 2011. The record low is 1.3 ft (0.4 m) in September 2020. Those two points tell you this reach can sit near its seasonal low in early fall, but it can also climb well beyond the usual spring level.
What the numbers say
This station has 50 years on record, so the pattern is long enough to trust for local planning. The annual rhythm here fits Appalachian and piedmont hydrology: higher water usually arrives in late winter and spring, while summer low flow is common. September has also produced both the typical low month and the record low month at this site.
Because no fastest 24-hour rise is given in the facts, I will not add one. The useful part here is the range itself: a river that is usually near 2 ft (0.6 m) but has reached 5.03 ft (1.53 m) can change the waterline enough to matter for access, bank use, and low-lying equipment.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the current reading set against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is better than raw elevation because a river at 2 ft (0.6 m) may be high for one day of the year and low for another.
USGS maintains this station. With more than 50 years on record, the daily median gives a steadier local benchmark than a single stage number on its own.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
