Lehigh River level at Jim Thorpe
Pennsylvania · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 01449000 — Lehigh River at Lehighton, PA · NWS forecast point LHTP1
Reading taken · as of 33 min ago
In its normal runnable range
At 443 CFS, this gauge is running 111% of normal for mid-September — close to the 399 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 43 years of record (1983–2026).
Sponsor Lehigh River
One exclusive sponsor per river, on every gauge page for it.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Flood stages at Jim Thorpe
National Weather Service categories for gauge LHTP1, WFO PHI. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 14.0 ft
- 14.0 ft Evacuations occur on River Street.
-
Moderate flood 12.0 ft
- 12.0 ft River Street begins to flood. Trails in Lehigh Gorge State Park are flooded.
-
Minor flood 10.0 ft
- 10.0 ft Flooding begins in Jim Thorpe.
-
Action 9.0 ft · 13,230 CFS
- 9.0 ft Open adjacent land in Lehigh Gorge State Park floods.
- Right now 2.74 ft
NWS forecast: 3.10 ft by .
Flow history at Jim Thorpe
Daily values from USGS 01449000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for LHTP1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Jim Thorpe
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 20.80 ft | — | Feb 28, 1902 |
| 20.70 ft | — | May 23, 1942 |
| 20.30 ft | — | Aug 19, 1955 |
| 18.22 ft | 25,500 CFS | Sep 27, 1985 |
| 15.90 ft | — | Jul 10, 1935 |
| 14.11 ft | 27,087 CFS | Sep 2, 2021 |
| 13.51 ft | 25,500 CFS | Jun 28, 2006 |
| 13.10 ft | — | Mar 18, 1936 |
| 12.95 ft | 24,100 CFS | Mar 11, 2011 |
| 12.90 ft | 24,000 CFS | Jun 27, 2006 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Lehigh River at Jim Thorpe
In Pennsylvania — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Lehigh Gorge; dam-release rafting plus tubing.
Lehigh River at Jim Thorpe — common questions
3 questions
How fast can Lehigh River at Jim Thorpe come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Lehigh River at Jim Thorpe high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 399 CFS, from 43 years of record (1983–2026). Today is 111% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 01449000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for LHTP1 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.