North Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, KY
River level and flood forecast · Perry County
Normal4.8 ftas of Mon 3:45 PM
The river is 15.2 ft below flood stage (20 ft).
Flow: 488 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Sun, Dec 31, 7 PM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 33 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 27 ft |
| Flood stage | 20 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (January 29, 1957) | 37.54 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 37.5 ftFlooding will exceed highest stage on record. Most of Hazard is covered. Water is four feet deep in some sections of business district.
- 34.6 ftMain street is flooded in front of the First National Bank building.
- 33 ftMajor flooding occurs. Much of the business district is covered.
- 29.4 ftFlooding reaches the front of the old railroad station.
- 28.5 ftFlood waters cover the foot of the Depot bridge.
- 27 ftModerate flooding occurs. The lower part of the business district is affected.
- 25 ftFlooding begins in some basements.
- 20 ftLow lying areas flood. The street at the mouth of Big Bottom Branch is flooded.
Highest crests on record
- 37.54 ft — January 29, 1957
- 36.3 ft — January 1, 1912
- 35 ft — March 12, 1963
- 34 ft — May 30, 1927
- 32.12 ft — May 7, 1984
Recent crests: 30.52 ft (February 16, 2025) · 24.84 ft (March 28, 2021) · 25.01 ft (March 1, 2021) · 25.8 ft (February 7, 2020) · 23.66 ft (February 11, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamNorth Fork Kentucky River at Whitesburg, KY
- DownstreamNorth Fork Kentucky River at Jackson, KY
- Carr Creek at Carr Creek Lake, KY
- Cutshin Creek at Wooton, KY
- Middle Fork Kentucky River near Hyden, KY
- Middle Fork Kentucky River at Buckhorn Lake, KY
- Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland, KY
- Cumberland River at Loyall, KY
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (HAZK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.