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Cumberland River at Baxter

Highest listed crest 34.20 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft45 crests since 1944

The Cumberland River at Baxter crested at major flood stage 17 times among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1944 to 2025. The highest, 34.20 ft on April 4, 1977, was major flooding, 18.20 feet above flood stage. 3 other gauges on the Cumberland River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 3 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
34.20 ft
April 4, 1977
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
17
3rd of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
24.50 ft, major flooding
Location
Harlan County
Kentucky
Identifiers
NWS BXTK2
No USGS station

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Cumberland River at Baxter
Action stage13.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.016Mar 3, 1997Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage18.012Apr 13, 2020Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.017Feb 16, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1944 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cumberland River at Baxter, 1944 to 2025 1520253035ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Feb 17, 1944: 18.40 ft, moderate floodingJan 6, 1946: 22.80 ft, major floodingJun 28, 1947: 16.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 14, 1948: 18.10 ft, moderate floodingFeb 1, 1951: 17.90 ft, minor floodingDec 15, 1951: 16.00 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 1955: 16.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 1956: 16.10 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1956: 17.30 ft, minor floodingJan 29, 1957: 22.20 ft, major floodingJan 22, 1959: 19.70 ft, moderate floodingFeb 25, 1961: 16.20 ft, minor floodingMar 6, 1963: 18.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 12, 1963: 29.20 ft, major floodingMar 17, 1963: 23.10 ft, major floodingMar 26, 1965: 17.90 ft, minor floodingFeb 13, 1966: 18.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 7, 1967: 23.70 ft, major floodingDec 31, 1969: 28.50 ft, major floodingApr 28, 1970: 19.80 ft, moderate floodingApr 12, 1972: 16.20 ft, minor floodingDec 16, 1972: 18.60 ft, moderate floodingNov 28, 1973: 22.00 ft, major floodingJan 11, 1974: 21.70 ft, major floodingMar 21, 1974: 16.80 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1975: 17.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1975: 16.00 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1976: 16.60 ft, minor floodingApr 4, 1977: 34.20 ft, major floodingNov 7, 1977: 19.00 ft, moderate floodingJan 26, 1978: 17.50 ft, minor floodingDec 9, 1978: 16.00 ft, minor floodingDec 2, 1991: 24.00 ft, major floodingMar 23, 1993: 18.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 11, 1994: 22.80 ft, major floodingApr 13, 1994: 19.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 3, 1997: 17.89 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1998: 18.80 ft, moderate floodingMar 18, 2002: 22.00 ft, major floodingFeb 16, 2003: 20.00 ft, major floodingMar 5, 2015: 21.50 ft, major floodingFeb 11, 2018: 22.10 ft, major floodingFeb 6, 2020: 26.00 ft, major floodingApr 13, 2020: 18.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 16, 2025: 24.50 ft, major flooding; 32,995 cubic feet per second Highest, 34.20 ft, Apr 4, 1977 1960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cumberland River at Baxter 1940s: 4 1950s: 7 1960s: 8 1970s: 13 13 1980s: 0 1990s: 6 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Cumberland River at Baxter
1Apr 4, 197734.20+18.20Major—
2Mar 12, 196329.20+13.20Major—
3Dec 31, 196928.50+12.50Major—
4Feb 6, 202026.00+10.00Major—
5Feb 16, 202524.50+8.50Major32,995
6Dec 2, 199124.00+8.00Major—
7Mar 7, 196723.70+7.70Major—
8Mar 17, 196323.10+7.10Major—
9Jan 6, 194622.80+6.80Major—
10Feb 11, 199422.80+6.80Major—
11Jan 29, 195722.20+6.20Major—
12Feb 11, 201822.10+6.10Major—
13Nov 28, 197322.00+6.00Major—
14Mar 18, 200222.00+6.00Major—
15Jan 11, 197421.70+5.70Major—
16Mar 5, 201521.50+5.50Major—
17Feb 16, 200320.00+4.00Major—
18Apr 28, 197019.80+3.80Moderate—
19Jan 22, 195919.70+3.70Moderate—
20Apr 13, 199419.50+3.50Moderate—
21Nov 7, 197719.00+3.00Moderate—
22Apr 19, 199818.80+2.80Moderate—
23Dec 16, 197218.60+2.60Moderate—
24Mar 23, 199318.50+2.50Moderate—
25Feb 17, 194418.40+2.40Moderate—
26Mar 6, 196318.30+2.30Moderate—
27Feb 13, 196618.20+2.20Moderate—
28Feb 14, 194818.10+2.10Moderate—
29Apr 13, 202018.00+2.00Moderate—
30Feb 1, 195117.90+1.90Minor—
31Mar 26, 196517.90+1.90Minor—
32Mar 3, 199717.89+1.89Minor—
33Mar 12, 197517.80+1.80Minor—
34Jan 26, 197817.50+1.50Minor—
35Apr 16, 195617.30+1.30Minor—
36Mar 21, 197416.80+0.80Minor—
37Mar 29, 197616.60+0.60Minor—
38Feb 25, 196116.20+0.20Minor—
39Apr 12, 197216.20+0.20Minor—
40Feb 18, 195616.10+0.10Minor—
41Jun 28, 194716.000.00Minor—
42Dec 15, 195116.000.00Minor—
43Mar 22, 195516.000.00Minor—
44Mar 30, 197516.000.00Minor—
45Dec 9, 197816.000.00Minor—

The worst floods along the Cumberland River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Cumberland River that crested above flood stage within a week.

April 4, 1977: 34.20 ft here, major flooding

  • PinevilleKY · Apr 5, 1977 · 1,021.80 ft · Major · its highest
  • BarbourvilleKY · Apr 6, 1977 · 45.91 ft · Major · its highest
  • WilliamsburgKY · Apr 7, 1977 · 35.03 ft · Major · its highest

March 12, 1963: 29.20 ft here, major flooding

December 31, 1969: 28.50 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Cumberland River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Cumberland River
Ashland CityTN28.028.66 ft, Feb 24, 20190
BarbourvilleKY27.045.91 ft, Apr 6, 197715
Baxter this gaugeKY16.034.20 ft, Apr 4, 197717
BurkesvilleKY46.056.60 ft, Feb 28, 20190
CarthageTN40.059.80 ft, Dec 30, 19268
CelinaTN40.059.20 ft, Mar 1, 182610
ClarksvilleTN46.062.58 ft, May 4, 20105
DoverTN66.074.17 ft, May 5, 20102
EdenwoldTN49.050.70 ft, Feb 24, 20190
Hunters PointTN52.053.66 ft, Mar 6, 19890
NashvilleTN40.056.20 ft, Jan 1, 192722
OmohundroTN41.044.69 ft, Feb 24, 20190
PinevilleKY1,002.01,021.80 ft, Apr 5, 19772
WilliamsburgKY21.035.03 ft, Apr 7, 19774
HermitageTN48.049.11 ft, Feb 24, 20190
Penington BendTN47.048.83 ft, Feb 24, 20190

Other gauges in Harlan County

Flood gauges in Harlan County
Cumberland12.015.88 ft, Apr 4, 19770

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BXTK2, 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.