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Barren River at Bowling Green

Highest listed crest 52.20 ftFlood stage 28.0 ft82 crests since 1913

The Barren River at Bowling Green crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 82 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2025. The highest, 52.20 ft on January 8, 1913, was major flooding, 24.20 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
52.20 ft
January 8, 1913
Flood stage
28.0 ft
Major flooding from 45.0 ft
Crests at major
3
37th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 4, 2025
35.76 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Warren County
Near Bowling Green (1.8 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Barren River at Bowling Green
Action stage26.06Jun 7, 1981The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)28.037Feb 25, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage32.036Apr 4, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage45.03Mar 1, 1962Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

82 crests from 1913 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Barren River at Bowling Green, 1913 to 2025 2030405060ft Flood stage 28.0 ftMajor 45.0 ft Jan 8, 1913: 52.20 ft, major floodingJan 1, 1937: 46.00 ft, major floodingAug 2, 1938: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1939: 29.25 ft, minor flooding; 23,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1939: 32.00 ft, moderate flooding; 27,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1939: 27.65 ft, action stage; 20,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1939: 27.60 ft, action stage; 20,800 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1939: 28.00 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1940: 27.37 ft, action stage; 20,600 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1942: 29.10 ft, minor flooding; 23,000 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1943: 32.80 ft, moderate flooding; 29,200 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1943: 29.90 ft, minor flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1943: 34.70 ft, moderate flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1944: 31.10 ft, minor flooding; 26,100 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1945: 39.40 ft, moderate flooding; 51,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1945: 31.72 ft, minor flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1945: 29.60 ft, minor flooding; 23,400 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1946: 36.30 ft, moderate flooding; 38,800 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1947: 27.01 ft, action stage; 20,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1948: 39.82 ft, moderate flooding; 53,000 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1948: 32.00 ft, moderate flooding; 27,500 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1949: 30.48 ft, minor flooding; 24,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1949: 31.42 ft, minor flooding; 26,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1949: 28.20 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1949: 35.10 ft, moderate flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 1949: 35.95 ft, moderate flooding; 37,500 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1950: 39.65 ft, moderate flooding; 51,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1950: 36.80 ft, moderate flooding; 38,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1950: 30.72 ft, minor flooding; 25,200 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1951: 28.33 ft, minor flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1951: 28.52 ft, minor flooding; 21,800 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1951: 33.18 ft, moderate flooding; 28,800 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 1951: 28.45 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1952: 28.14 ft, minor flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1952: 44.63 ft, moderate flooding; 77,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1955: 30.34 ft, minor flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1955: 40.46 ft, moderate flooding; 55,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1956: 35.35 ft, moderate flooding; 34,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1956: 36.73 ft, moderate flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1957: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 22,600 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 42.07 ft, moderate flooding; 66,100 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1957: 34.32 ft, moderate flooding; 30,700 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1959: 28.06 ft, minor flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1959: 27.97 ft, action stage; 21,300 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1962: 49.55 ft, major flooding; 85,000 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 1962: 32.16 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1964: 30.04 ft, minor flooding; 24,000 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 29.61 ft, minor flooding; 22,700 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1968: 33.65 ft, moderate flooding; 29,000 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 1969: 41.67 ft, moderate flooding; 59,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 29.37 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 1974: 34.22 ft, moderate flooding; 29,900 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1975: 42.75 ft, moderate flooding; 62,400 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1976: 28.76 ft, minor flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 39.47 ft, moderate flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1981: 27.76 ft, action stage; 21,400 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1983: 37.04 ft, moderate flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1984: 37.15 ft, moderate flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1987: 28.12 ft, minor flooding; 20,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1989: 34.02 ft, moderate floodingFeb 22, 1989: 33.90 ft, moderate flooding; 35,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1989: 32.20 ft, moderate floodingFeb 4, 1990: 31.34 ft, minor flooding; 28,000 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1990: 28.10 ft, minor floodingDec 23, 1990: 30.86 ft, minor flooding; 23,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1991: 29.10 ft, minor floodingDec 4, 1991: 29.64 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1994: 33.24 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1994: 32.95 ft, moderate flooding; 32,300 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1995: 28.70 ft, minor floodingDec 18, 1996: 28.70 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 1997: 34.90 ft, moderate floodingJan 24, 1999: 30.43 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2003: 28.61 ft, minor flooding; 21,100 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2008: 29.38 ft, minor flooding; 25,400 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2009: 30.38 ft, minor flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 43.69 ft, moderate flooding; 56,900 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2013: 28.13 ft, minor flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 2019: 30.85 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2021: 33.31 ft, moderate flooding; 28,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2025: 39.38 ft, moderate flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2025: 35.76 ft, moderate flooding; 33,100 cubic feet per second Highest, 52.20 ft, Jan 8, 1913 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Barren River at Bowling Green 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 5 1940s: 16 1950s: 17 17 1960s: 7 1970s: 4 1980s: 6 1990s: 11 2000s: 3 2010s: 3 2020s: 3 1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 82 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Barren River at Bowling Green
1Jan 8, 191352.20+24.20Major—
2Mar 1, 196249.55+21.55Major85,000
3Jan 1, 193746.00+18.00Major—
4Mar 24, 195244.63+16.63Moderate77,400
5May 3, 201043.69+15.69Moderate56,900
6Mar 13, 197542.75+14.75Moderate62,400
7Jan 30, 195742.07+14.07Moderate66,100
8Jun 24, 196941.67+13.67Moderate59,000
9Mar 23, 195540.46+12.46Moderate55,100
10Feb 15, 194839.82+11.82Moderate53,000
11Jan 7, 195039.65+11.65Moderate51,600
12Dec 9, 197839.47+11.47Moderate48,900
13Jan 2, 194539.40+11.40Moderate51,100
14Feb 17, 202539.38+11.38Moderate41,800
15May 8, 198437.15+9.15Moderate41,400
16May 20, 198337.04+9.04Moderate42,000
17Feb 2, 195036.80+8.80Moderate38,100
18Feb 20, 195636.73+8.73Moderate38,000
19Jan 10, 194636.30+8.30Moderate38,800
20Dec 14, 194935.95+7.95Moderate37,500
21Apr 4, 202535.76+7.76Moderate33,100
22Feb 1, 195635.35+7.35Moderate34,000
23Jun 18, 194935.10+7.10Moderate35,000
24Mar 3, 199734.90+6.90Moderate—
25Mar 21, 194334.70+6.70Moderate32,300
26Nov 20, 195734.32+6.32Moderate30,700
27Jan 11, 197434.22+6.22Moderate29,900
28Feb 15, 198934.02+6.02Moderate—
29Feb 22, 198933.90+5.90Moderate35,400
30Apr 5, 196833.65+5.65Moderate29,000
31Mar 2, 202133.31+5.31Moderate28,500
32Mar 11, 199433.24+5.24Moderate—
33Dec 10, 195133.18+5.18Moderate28,800
34Apr 12, 199432.95+4.95Moderate32,300
35Jan 1, 194332.80+4.80Moderate29,200
36Mar 6, 198932.20+4.20Moderate—
37Apr 15, 196232.16+4.16Moderate27,000
38Feb 5, 193932.00+4.00Moderate27,600
39Dec 17, 194832.00+4.00Moderate27,500
40Feb 24, 194531.72+3.72Minor27,000
41Feb 16, 194931.42+3.42Minor26,400
42Feb 4, 199031.34+3.34Minor28,000
43Mar 1, 194431.10+3.10Minor26,100
44Dec 23, 199030.86+2.86Minor23,900
45Feb 25, 201930.85+2.85Minor24,800
46Feb 15, 195030.72+2.72Minor25,200
47Jan 6, 194930.48+2.48Minor24,400
48Jan 24, 199930.43+2.43Minor—
49Jan 29, 200930.38+2.38Minor26,900
50Feb 23, 195530.34+2.34Minor24,500

Other gauges in Warren County

Flood gauges in Warren County
Alvaton24.042.12 ft, May 3, 20101

Warren County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Kentucky

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BWGK2, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.