How does the Susquehanna River impact Pennsylvania’s weather?

Meteorologist Brett Thackara of Harrisburg’s abc27 does a deep dive into Pennsylvania’s unique weather patterns and how they’re influenced by the Susquehanna River.

We also talk about how flood-prone the Susquehanna and its tributaries are, and why York and Lancaster counties are especially at-risk for tornadoes. Plus, Brett gives his predictions for this winter’s weather outlook.

And get to know Brett beyond the forecast: He talks about his childhood, as he grew up along the Susquehanna River in Bloomsburg, and why he was intrigued to go into meteorology from a young age.

In today’s Final Four: Benjamin Hostetler of Lemoyne explains how the Susquehanna River helped him through the pandemic and how it continues to bring him joy today.

The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Take a deep dive into the 2026 Chesapeake Bay Report Card:

Overall, the Chesapeake Bay scored its highest grade ever in 40 years’ worth of data, with a C+. There’s a lot of good news within the report, including a B for the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and a B for the Middle Susquehanna. But there are also some concerning grades, including a C for the Juniata River and a D+ for the Lower Susquehanna – a region that includes Harrisburg, York, and Lancaster.

Our guests are Dr. Heath Kelsey and Alexandra Fries, both of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, which issues the report.

We talk about the science behind each watershed’s grade, and what we can do to continue improving (with lots of tips regarding road salt!). And we talk about why the health of the Susquehanna is vital to the health of the bay as its largest tributary.

The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.

The nonprofit ALLARM is powered by volunteers who regularly monitor and take readings of waterways in the Susquehanna River watershed.

Joey Knouse, ALLARM’s volunteer and outreach coordinator, explains how the organization has evolved since its founding in 1986. Based at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Cumberland County, ALLARM now stands for the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring. But it began as the Alliance for Acid Rain Monitoring.

Anna Horn, ALLARM’s water quality technician, explains what types of measurements and readings volunteers typically take, as part of Stream Teams, and how the data is tied into the larger network of the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative.

Many watershed associations and nonprofits rely on the data, from the Lower and Middle Susquehanna Riverkeepers to the recently-joined Big Spring Watershed Association in Cumberland County.

We also touch on fun topics like macroinvertebrates, as well as Joey’s tattoo depicting a map of one of the Susquehanna’s tributaries. Listeners can also learn how they too can participate in this citizen science project.

In today’s Final Four: Will Smeltzer of Lemoyne explains how the Susquehanna is intertwined with his life, how he camped on a Susquehanna River island, and how he’s gotten into the habit of picking up trash everywhere he goes.

The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.