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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The warmup and rain over the next couple days will melt the snow pack in upstate New York, causing it to drain into the Susquehanna River that&#8217;s forecast to crest at 18 feet Wednesday night, well below flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.</p><p>The river is expected to rise approximately six feet over the next couple days, but remain within its natural banks and pose no danger to property or people in the Wyoming Valley. The crest, expected at 8 p.m. Wednesday, will fall short of the 22 feet that causes minor flooding in lowland areas in the Plainsville section of Plains Township and the Plymouth Flats in Plymouth Township.</p><p>&#8220;We still haven&#8217;t melted all the snow in the far headwaters,&#8221; Jim Brewster, a hydrologist with the Binghamton, N.Y., office of the NWS, said Monday. The 444-mile river starts at the outlet of Otsego Lake at Cooperstown, N.Y., and flows into to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.</p><p>Brewster estimated the snow pack at between three and six inches and possibly more on the hillsides from the storm that blanketed Northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York with more than two feet on March 14. In liquid measure that&#8217;s between one and two inches of water in the nearly 10,000-square-mile basin that empties into the river through tributary streams and creeks and flows south to Susquehanna&#8217;s north branch in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Rain and temperatures in the 50s and 60s over the next few days will melt much of the snow and because the ground is not frozen, some of the water will percolate into aquifers, Brewster explained.</p><p>&#8220;At least an inch will come out into the basin,&#8221; he added.</p><p>Officials with the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency are aware of the forecasted crest. &#8220;We&#8217;re monitoring it. At that stage there&#8217;s nobody that&#8217;s affected,&#8221; said county EMA Director Lucy Morgan.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Susquehanna River flows under the Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre Monday and is expected to crest at 18 feet Wednesday night, well below the flood stage level. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL032817River1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Susquehanna River flows under the Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre Monday and is expected to crest at 18 feet Wednesday night, well below the flood stage level. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL032817River2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Most of the snow in Nesbitt Park along the Susquehanna River is gone, but warmer temperatures and rain will melt what remains upstream and cause the river to crest at 18 feet in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday night, too low to cause any flooding problems. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL032817River2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Most of the snow in Nesbitt Park along the Susquehanna River is gone, but warmer temperatures and rain will melt what remains upstream and cause the river to crest at 18 feet in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday night, too low to cause any flooding problems. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Flood stage levels of Susquehanna River in Luzerne County</p><p>&#8226; 22 feet - Lowland flooding in Plainsville, Plymouth Flats, West Nanticoke and Shickshinny.</p><p>&#8226; 24 feet - Canal Street in Shickshinny and lowlands in Pittston begin to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 27 feet - US Route 11 in West Nanticoke and River Road in Plainsville begin to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 28 feet - Moderate flooding begins. US Route 11 in West Nanticoke is closed. Canal Street in West Nanticoke begins to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 29 feet - US Route 11 in Shickshinny is closed. River Road in Port Blanchard and West Pittston begin to flood. PP&amp;L Riverlands facilities begin to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 30 feet - Major flooding begins. US Route 11 in Avondale is covered by flood water. Main Street in Shickshinny begins to flood. Flooding begins to affect areas of Wilkes-Barre upstream of Pierce Street bridge, including the Luzerne County Court House.</p><p>&#8226; 31 feet - Hollenback Park in Wilkes-Barre, Duryea and West Pittston are affected. The Brookside area in Wilkes-Barre begins to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 32 feet - Main Street in Shickshinny floods.</p><p>&#8226; 33 feet - Mocanaqua begins to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 35 feet -Dundee area in Hanover Township begins to flood. US Route 11 i</p><p>n Edwardsville floods.</p><p>&#8226; 36 feet -Nescopeck borough begins to flood.</p><p>&#8226; 40.9 feet - Flood stage from Hurricane Agnes, June 24, 1972.</p><p>&#8226; 41 feet - Maximum effective design of levee protection in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8226; 42.66 - Record flood stage of Sept. 8, 2011 from remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.</p><p>Source: National Weather Service</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Warm temps ahead, but Susquehanna’s crest expected to be below flood stage