South Fork Licking River at Cynthiana, KY
River level and flood forecast · Harrison County
Normal4.8 ftas of Mon 3:30 PM
The river is 15.3 ft below flood stage (20 ft).
Forecast to hold near 4.8 ft through Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 1 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:58 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 23 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 22 ft |
| Flood stage | 20 ft |
| Action stage | 16 ft |
| Record crest (March 3, 1997) | 28.53 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 28.5 ftMuch of western and a large part of southern Cynthiana is flooded. Water is 3 feet deep in western business district. KY 356 bridge is closed.
- 27 ftKY 356 bridge floods.
- 26 ftA large section of US 27 is closed one quater mile north of town. Town is cutoff.
- 25 ftApproaches to KY 356 bridge are flooded.
- 24 ftWater enters some businesses. Sections of US 62, US 27, KY 36 south and west of town flood.
- 23 ftSome homes on west side of town flood.
- 22 ftIntersections of Pearl and Locust, Poplar and Penn, and Poplar and Cromwell Alley flood. KY 36 (Pleasant Street) between Locust and W. Pike flood. KY 983 before Infirmary Road floods.
- 21 ftIntersection of Louis Stout Way and Newsome Avenue floods.
- 20 ftA large section of city park floods. Water begins to back up in some streets in west side of town.
- 19 ftSeveral roads are closed outside of city limits.
- 16 ftRiver Road is blocked. Riverside park floods.
Highest crests on record
- 28.53 ft — March 3, 1997
- 23.32 ft — April 13, 1948
- 23.02 ft — February 16, 1989
- 22.99 ft — December 10, 1978
- 22.98 ft — April 5, 2015
Recent crests: 21.78 ft (April 6, 2025) · 20.26 ft (February 16, 2025) · 22.4 ft (May 20, 2020) · 20.09 ft (September 25, 2018) · 22.98 ft (April 5, 2015)
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CYNK2); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.