Big water on the Susquehanna
The water is still rising on the Susquehanna River. Exelon Power Corp. has opened 26 to 32 flood gates on the Conowingo Dam, making for a pretty spectacular sight, with almost 300,000 cubic feet of water charging through the dam each second. (the median for this time of year is 48,700 cf/s). Here's the (clickable) hydrograph for Friday afternoon.
The river below the dam was just below flood stage Friday afternoon. Flood stage is 23.5 feet, and the water was at 23.3 feet at 2 p.m. The forecast from the National Weather Service predicted the water would continue to rise through the night, climbing to 27.3 feet before nightfall before cresting at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Might be worth a drive up to have a look. If you have some spectacular photos, email them to me, and we'll post 'em.
There was a Flood Warning in place for the Susquehanna below the dam. Above the dam, at Harrisburg, the Flood Warning said the river was expected to rise above the 17-foot flood Friday this afternoon, and keep rising to a crest of 21.3 feet Saturday afternoon:
"THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY SUNDAY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. AT 21.0 FEET...HOMES ON BOTH BANKS ARE AFFECTED BY HIGH WATER. THIS IS THE APPROXIMATE LEVEL OF ROUTES 11 AND 15...UPSTREAM OF THE MARKET STREET BRIDGE."
