Red River at Clay City, KY
River level and flood forecast · Powell County
Normal3.0 ftas of Mon 3:15 PM
The river is 14.0 ft below flood stage (17 ft).
Forecast to fall to 2.5 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 83 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 | 23 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 19 ft |
| Flood stage | 17 ft |
| Action stage | 13 ft |
| Record crest (December 9, 1978) | 26.75 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 26.75 ftFlooding will exceed the highest flood on record.
- 24 ftMany homes and some businesses are flooded.
- 23 ftMajor flooding begins. Some residences are inundated with many roads blocked.
- 19 ftModerate flooding begins. Several roads are impassable in and around Clay City. Some homes are flooded in low lying areas.
- 17 ftLow lying areas flood. Maple street near the Red River Ranch as well as Pompeii Road off of Highway 15 are impassable.
- 16 ftPompeii Road off of Highway 15 and Maple Street near the Red River Ranch are impassable.
- 15 ftMaple Street near the Red River Ranch is impassable.
- 14 ftMaple Street near the Red River Ranch is impassable.
- 13 ftWater begins inundating Maple Street near the Red River Ranch.
Highest crests on record
- 26.75 ft — December 9, 1978
- 25.81 ft — March 1, 2021
- 24.08 ft — June 1, 2004
- 23.9 ft — February 28, 1962
- 23.36 ft — May 3, 2010
Recent crests: 23.27 ft (April 5, 2025) · 21.31 ft (February 17, 2025) · 25.81 ft (March 1, 2021) · 19.93 ft (May 20, 2020) · 21.1 ft (February 25, 2019)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamRed River near Hazel Green, KY
- DownstreamKentucky River at Ford Lock, KY
- Kentucky River at Lock 11 near College Hill, KY
- Slate Creek at Highway 713 near Mount Sterling, KY
- Kentucky River near Ravenna, KY
- Kentucky River at Lock 13 near Willow, KY
- Kentucky River at Heidelberg, KY
- Sturgeon Creek at Cressmont, KY
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CYCK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.