North Fork Kentucky River at Jackson, KY
River level and flood forecast · Breathitt County
The river is 27.2 ft below flood stage (29 ft).
Forecast to rise to 2.6 ft Tue 2 AM, below the 29 ft flood stage.
Flow: 369 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 | 31 ft |
| Flood stage | 29 ft |
| Action stage | 23 ft |
| Record crest (July 29, 2022) | 43.46 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 43.46 ftFlooding will exceed the highest flood on record. Large sections of the downtown Jackson are inundated.
- 41.3 ftMany homes and businesses are inundated in downtown Jackson.
- 40 ftMajor flooding. Several homes and businesses are affected in downtown Jackson.
- 37 ftTraffic stopped on left side of bridge on KY 30 and 52.
- 31 ftModerate flooding. Evacuation of homes begins.
- 29 ftLow lying areas flood. Water begins inundating Wolverine Road just north of the Hays Depot bridge.
- 25 ftHWY 541 near the Kentucky Mountain Bible College is impassable.
Highest crests on record
- 43.46 ft — July 29, 2022
- 43.1 ft — February 4, 1939
- 41.97 ft — May 8, 1984
- 41.28 ft — February 2, 1951
- 40.55 ft — February 14, 1948
Recent crests: 37.69 ft (February 17, 2025) · 43.46 ft (July 29, 2022) · 39.04 ft (March 2, 2021) · 29.09 ft (February 12, 2018) · 29.69 ft (March 5, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamNorth Fork Kentucky River at Hazard, KY
- DownstreamKentucky River at Heidelberg, KY
- Middle Fork Kentucky River near Tallega, KY
- Middle Fork Kentucky River at Buckhorn Lake, KY
- South Fork Kentucky River at Booneville, KY
- Red River near Hazel Green, KY
- Licking River near Salyersville, KY
- Sturgeon Creek at Cressmont, KY
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (JKNK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.