Barren River at Bowling Green, KY
River level and flood forecast · Warren County
Normal4.1 ftas of Mon 2:45 PM
The river is 23.9 ft below flood stage (28 ft).
Forecast to hold near 4.1 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 7 AM.
Flow: 287 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:45 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 45 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 32 ft |
| Flood stage | 28 ft |
| Action stage | 26 ft |
| Record crest (January 8, 1913) | 52.2 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 61 ftSurface of US 68 bridge floods.
- 53 ftLarge sections of the city flood. Travel is impossible in some areas.
- 48 ftWater treatment plant is shut down.
- 43 ftApproaches to KY 185 bridge flood.
- 36 ftSeveral homes along river begin to flood.
- 34 ftMost of Beech Bend Park floods.
- 30 ftBoat Landing Road is impassable.
- 23 ftParks begin to flood. Most of Thomas Landing and Weldon Peete Park flood.
Highest crests on record
- 52.2 ft — January 8, 1913
- 49.55 ft — March 1, 1962
- 46 ft — January 1, 1937
- 44.63 ft — March 24, 1952
- 43.69 ft — May 3, 2010
Recent crests: 35.76 ft (April 4, 2025) · 39.38 ft (February 17, 2025) · 33.31 ft (March 2, 2021) · 30.85 ft (February 25, 2019) · 28.13 ft (April 29, 2013)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamBarren River at Barren River Lake, KY
- DownstreamGreen River (KY) above Woodbury, KY
- Drakes Creek near Alvaton, KY
- Green River (KY) near Brownsville, KY
- West Fork Drakes Creek at Franklin, KY
- Green River (KY) near Mammoth Cave, KY
- Nolin River at Nolin River Lake, KY
- Green River (KY) at Rochester, KY
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (BWGK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.