Flooding to continue with heavy rains through mid-week

*This story has been updated with a new forecast for Swatara Creek*

(Harrisburg) — Prolonged rain across the Mid-Atlantic region has hit central Pennsylvania especially hard, and conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday or early Thursday before the rain moves northeast.

The National Weather Service in State College has issued flood warnings for most of the midstate.

Senior Forecaster Barry Lambert said rain is particularly heavy in York and Dauphin counties. Crews in York County are searching for a 19-year-old woman who was swept away by high waters while trying to cross Conewago Creek on Monday night.

Lambert said some areas could experience the most severe flooding since Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

“This is probably the next worse to that event, and that occured seven years ago, so this is a very rare event to have,” Lambert said.

Dehart Dam in Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin County, saw more than 8 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Harrisburg received 3.23 inches.

Swatara Creek is already flooded and will get near record levels as rain continues to fall in the region. As of Tuesday morning, the creek hit major flooding stage at Harper Tavern with a crest of 15.26 feet. It was expected to reach about 17.6 feet Wednesday, which would have pushed water to nearby homes, but the National Weather Service adjusted that forecast to a peak of about 15.3 feet.

The Susquehanna River has not yet crested but is expected to have minor flooding later in the week.

Check real-time waterway conditions from the National Weather Service, and see real-time traffic conditions on 511pa.com.