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Kentucky River at Camp Nelson

Highest listed crest 47.04 ftFlood stage 30.0 ft21 crests since 1913

The Kentucky River at Camp Nelson crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 21 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1913 to 2025. The highest, 47.04 ft on April 6, 2025, was major flooding, 17.04 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the Kentucky River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
47.04 ft
April 6, 2025; 89,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
30.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
6
18th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
47.04 ft, major flooding
Location
Jessamine County
Near Nicholasville (10.2 mi), Danville (12.7 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Kentucky River at Camp Nelson
Action stage28.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)30.06Feb 24, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage36.09Feb 19, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.06Apr 6, 2025Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

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

Listed crests at the Kentucky River at Camp Nelson, 1913 to 2025 3035404550ft Flood stage 30.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Mar 28, 1913: 40.00 ft, major flooding; 103,000 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1915: 38.60 ft, moderate flooding; 93,800 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1918: 35.90 ft, minor flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1920: 36.30 ft, moderate flooding; 86,400 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1924: 36.00 ft, moderate flooding; 80,600 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1926: 36.10 ft, moderate flooding; 83,400 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1929: 35.80 ft, minor flooding; 85,600 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1937: 41.20 ft, major flooding; 91,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 1939: 38.60 ft, moderate flooding; 94,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1948: 37.60 ft, moderate flooding; 85,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1950: 35.40 ft, minor flooding; 80,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1955: 35.20 ft, minor flooding; 82,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1957: 38.52 ft, moderate flooding; 89,700 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1962: 41.30 ft, major flooding; 92,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2003: 38.44 ft, moderate flooding; 77,900 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 46.02 ft, major flooding; 89,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2015: 35.06 ft, minor flooding; 81,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 33.09 ft, minor flooding; 65,700 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2021: 42.92 ft, major flooding; 90,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2025: 37.19 ft, moderate flooding; 77,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 47.04 ft, major flooding; 89,600 cubic feet per second Highest, 47.04 ft, Apr 6, 2025 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kentucky River at Camp Nelson 1910s: 3 1920s: 4 4 1930s: 2 1940s: 1 1950s: 3 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 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

Highest listed crests, Kentucky River at Camp Nelson
1Apr 6, 202547.04+17.04Major89,600
2May 3, 201046.02+16.02Major89,900
3Mar 4, 202142.92+12.92Major90,900
4Mar 2, 196241.30+11.30Major92,800
5Jan 23, 193741.20+11.20Major91,500
6Mar 28, 191340.00+10.00Major103,000
7Dec 20, 191538.60+8.60Moderate93,800
8Feb 6, 193938.60+8.60Moderate94,800
9Feb 2, 195738.52+8.52Moderate89,700
10Feb 19, 200338.44+8.44Moderate77,900
11Feb 17, 194837.60+7.60Moderate85,400
12Feb 19, 202537.19+7.19Moderate77,300
13Jan 26, 192036.30+6.30Moderate86,400
14Dec 25, 192636.10+6.10Moderate83,400
15Jan 5, 192436.00+6.00Moderate80,600
16Jan 31, 191835.90+5.90Minor86,000
17Mar 26, 192935.80+5.80Minor85,600
18Feb 2, 195035.40+5.40Minor80,200
19Mar 4, 195535.20+5.20Minor82,100
20Apr 4, 201535.06+5.06Minor81,900
21Feb 24, 201933.09+3.09Minor65,700

The worst floods along the Kentucky River

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

April 6, 2025: 47.04 ft here, major flooding

May 3, 2010: 46.02 ft here, major flooding

March 4, 2021: 42.92 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Kentucky River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Kentucky River
HeidelbergKY20.035.60 ft, Feb 4, 19399
RavennaKY21.040.30 ft, Mar 2, 202112
Ford LockKY26.040.15 ft, Dec 10, 19781
Camp Nelson this gaugeKY30.047.04 ft, Apr 6, 20256
High Bridge LockKY30.053.10 ft, Dec 8, 19786
Frankfort LockKY31.048.47 ft, Dec 10, 197810
LockportKY33.056.85 ft, Jan 26, 19376

Other gauges in Jessamine County

Flood gauges in Jessamine County
High Bridge Lock30.053.10 ft, Dec 8, 19786

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CPNK2, 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.