Kentucky River at Frankfort Lock, KY
River level and flood forecast · Franklin County
The river is 24.0 ft below flood stage (31 ft).
Forecast to rise to 7.3 ft Thu 8 PM, below the 31 ft flood stage.
Flow: 578 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:04 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 40 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 35 ft |
| Flood stage | 31 ft |
| Action stage | 29 ft |
| Record crest (December 10, 1978) | 48.47 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 51.5 ftWater reaches the top of protection in South Frankfort.
- 51 ftWater reaches the top of protection in North Frankfort.
- 48 ftAreas outside of floodwall are covered. Many county roads are closed. Most of Buffalo Trace Distillery is flooded.
- 47 ftBuffalo Trace Distillery offices flood along Fair Oaks Lane.
- 44 ftHomes along Big Eddy Road flood. Parts of Port Collins Road and Polsgrove Road flood and cutoff homes. Water crosses Wilkinson Boulevard at Leestown Lane which cuts off Frankfort Housing Authority and Walter Todd Drive. Buffalo Trace Distillery Ash Building (across Wilkinson Boulevard) floods.
- 43 ftBellepoint is cut off. Indian Gap Road, Bates Road and River Valley Road flood. Water Plant is affected. Todd Park floods.
- 40 ftPaul Sawyier Drive, East Second Street, East Fourth Street and Admirals Landing flood. The entrance at McDonald Ferry Road floods. Buffalo Trace Distillery Visitor Parking Lot floods.
- 39 ftPortions of Logan Street, Norton Street and Murray Street flood. Riverboat Landing is flooded. Steele Branch Road is flooded resulting in some homes being cut off and Kentucky River Campground closure.
- 38 ftKY 420 (Old Lawrenceburg Road) closes. Wilkinson Street (dead end), Watson Court, Wilson Street and Kentucky Avenue flood. Many basements of homes flood in south Frankfort along Paul Sawyier Drive and Hermitage Drive.
- 37 ftTaylor Avenue floods near quarry. Swallowfield Road floods at Bates Road.
- 36 ftTravis Circle, Onans Bend Road, and Polsgrove Road flood.
- 33 ftSteele Branch Road floods at dead end. Stoney Creek Road and Shadrick Ferry Road close. Buffalo Trace Distillery buildings along the river flood.
- 31 ftBenson Valley Road floods. Water approaches Stoney Creek Road.
- 28 ftPortions of Still Waters Campground flood.
- 27 ftLewis Ferry Road floods.
- 26 ftStoney Creek Road floods. Portions of Kentucky River Campground flood.
- 24 ftNorth Stoney Creek Road floods.
Highest crests on record
- 48.47 ft — December 10, 1978
- 48.35 ft — April 7, 2025
- 47.46 ft — January 25, 1937
- 45.22 ft — March 3, 1997
- 44.17 ft — February 16, 1989
Recent crests: 48.35 ft (April 7, 2025) · 39.4 ft (February 17, 2025) · 40.16 ft (March 5, 2021) · 32.33 ft (February 25, 2019) · 36.15 ft (April 5, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FFTK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.