Map showing flood of June 1972 resulting from tropical storm Agnes, Susquehanna River at Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth, Pennsylvania

In June 1972, tropical storm Agnes caused severe flooding within a broad area extending from North Carolina to Southern New York. Flood elevations along the Susquehanna River were the highest ever recorded. In the Wilkes-Barre area, flood elevations exceeded those of 1865 and 1936 by about eight feet. Maximum discharges were about 40 percent greater than those of a 50-year flood. Property damages from flooding in the Wyoming Valley, in which Wilkes-Barre lies, far exceeded those in any are of similar size affected by the storm. The extent of the flooding on the map was delineated by the U.S. Geological Survey from field surveys made soon after the flood. Sections of levees and railroad grades that were not overtopped are not delineated.