South Fork Kentucky River at Booneville, KY
River level and flood forecast · Owsley County
Normal3.3 ftas of Mon 3:30 PM
The river is 23.7 ft below flood stage (27 ft).
Flow: 37 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 | 38 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 32 ft |
| Flood stage | 27 ft |
| Action stage | 21.5 ft |
| Record crest (March 1, 2021) | 44.33 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 44.33 ftFlooding will exceed the highest flood on record. Town is completely cut off.
- 35 ftWater enters the basement of a home off of Highway 30 on the right bank of the river.
- 27 ftLow lying areas flood. The bridge at Upper Wolf Creek Road, Shephards Lane, and the east end of Applegate Road at Buck Creek are impassable.
Highest crests on record
- 44.33 ft — March 1, 2021
- 43.4 ft — January 30, 1957
- 42.76 ft — February 17, 2025
- 41.7 ft — June 29, 1947
- 41.12 ft — May 8, 1984
Recent crests: 42.76 ft (February 17, 2025) · 31.18 ft (March 29, 2021) · 44.33 ft (March 1, 2021) · 28.39 ft (May 20, 2020) · 27.33 ft (February 14, 2020)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (BOOK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.