Ohio River at Ashland, KY
River level and flood forecast · Boyd County
Normal35.7 ftas of Mon 4 PM
The river is 16.3 ft below flood stage (52 ft).
Forecast to rise to 36.3 ft Mon 8 PM, below the 52 ft flood stage.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 10:44 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 65.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 56.6 ft |
| Flood stage | 52 ft |
| Action stage | 50 ft |
| Record crest (January 27, 1937) | 74.21 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 66.5 ftCSX Railroad closed in east end of Ashland near Catlettsburg KY.
- 65.8 ftRiver overtops the low point of the bank at the foot of Houston Street in Russell and flows overland to Ganners Branch.
- 65.5 ftUS Routes 23 and 60 floods in the east end of Ashland. US Route 23 one quarter of a mile west of Ashland floods.
- 64.5 ftCSX Railroad closed in Russell.
- 63 ftUS Route 60 floods in Catlettsburg.
- 60 ftThe flood gate at Oakland Avenue in Catlettsburg is closed.
- 56.6 ftGeneral flooding of areas around Ashland outside of the flood wall.
- 56 ftThe flood gate in Catlettsburg at 26th and Front Street is closed.
- 55.5 ftKY Route 3 floods in Catlettsburg.
- 52 ftMinor flooding of roads in low lying areas begin to flood due to backwater from creeks.
- 50 ftCatlettsburg flood gate at 15th and Center Street is closed.
Highest crests on record
- 74.21 ft — January 27, 1937
- 70.6 ft — March 31, 1913
- 69.3 ft — February 12, 1888
- 65.9 ft — April 17, 1948
- 64.45 ft — March 9, 1945
Recent crests: 52.31 ft (April 7, 2025) · 54.9 ft (February 18, 2025) · 52.17 ft (April 15, 2024) · 52.26 ft (April 7, 2024) · 58 ft (March 3, 2021)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ASHK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.