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Kentucky River at Ford Lock

Highest listed crest 40.15 ftFlood stage 26.0 ft45 crests since 1908

The Kentucky River at Ford Lock crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 45 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1908 to 2025. The highest, 40.15 ft on December 10, 1978, was major flooding, 14.15 feet above flood stage. 4 other gauges on the Kentucky River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
40.15 ft
December 10, 1978; 101,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
26.0 ft
Major flooding from 40.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
35.00 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Clark County
Near Winchester (8.4 mi), Richmond (11.6 mi), Lexington (14.8 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 Ford Lock
Action stage24.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)26.040Feb 19, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage35.04Apr 6, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage40.01Dec 10, 1978Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

45 crests from 1908 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kentucky River at Ford Lock, 1908 to 2025 2530354045ft Flood stage 26.0 ftMajor 40.0 ft Apr 3, 1908: 26.90 ft, minor flooding; 67,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1913: 28.50 ft, minor flooding; 70,000 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1913: 35.10 ft, moderate flooding; 84,600 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 1915: 33.60 ft, minor flooding; 85,600 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1917: 26.60 ft, minor flooding; 64,800 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1918: 31.70 ft, minor flooding; 81,300 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1919: 27.10 ft, minor flooding; 65,600 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1920: 31.70 ft, minor flooding; 79,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1922: 27.10 ft, minor flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1923: 28.60 ft, minor flooding; 70,600 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1924: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 69,400 cubic feet per secondDec 25, 1926: 28.00 ft, minor flooding; 64,500 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1929: 32.00 ft, minor flooding; 83,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1932: 28.50 ft, minor flooding; 70,300 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1934: 26.30 ft, minor flooding; 65,900 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1935: 30.30 ft, minor flooding; 75,400 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1937: 30.60 ft, minor flooding; 70,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1939: 34.80 ft, minor flooding; 92,400 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1946: 28.90 ft, minor flooding; 70,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1948: 33.60 ft, minor flooding; 86,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1950: 30.05 ft, minor flooding; 73,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1951: 28.75 ft, minor flooding; 69,700 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1952: 29.90 ft, minor flooding; 72,200 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1955: 29.90 ft, minor flooding; 74,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1956: 26.20 ft, minor flooding; 64,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1957: 33.65 ft, minor flooding; 85,400 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1962: 36.07 ft, moderate flooding; 91,500 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1970: 26.60 ft, minor flooding; 64,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1972: 27.20 ft, minor flooding; 63,100 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1972: 32.24 ft, minor flooding; 76,700 cubic feet per secondJan 13, 1974: 30.40 ft, minor flooding; 72,400 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1975: 30.30 ft, minor flooding; 72,000 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1978: 40.15 ft, major flooding; 101,000 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1984: 33.48 ft, minor flooding; 79,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1989: 28.66 ft, minor flooding; 74,600 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1994: 26.28 ft, minor flooding; 61,800 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1997: 27.07 ft, minor flooding; 64,000 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2002: 28.08 ft, minor flooding; 67,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2003: 32.41 ft, minor flooding; 79,700 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2004: 26.29 ft, minor flooding; 62,600 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 32.47 ft, minor flooding; 68,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 2019: 26.89 ft, minor flooding; 65,700 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2021: 38.05 ft, moderate flooding; 93,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2025: 31.63 ft, minor flooding; 77,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 35.00 ft, moderate flooding; 85,700 cubic feet per second Highest, 40.15 ft, Dec 10, 1978 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kentucky River at Ford Lock 1900s: 1 1910s: 6 6 1920s: 6 1930s: 5 1940s: 2 1950s: 6 1960s: 1 1970s: 6 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 Ford Lock
1Dec 10, 197840.15+14.15Major101,000
2Mar 3, 202138.05+12.05Moderate93,400
3Mar 1, 196236.07+10.07Moderate91,500
4Mar 28, 191335.10+9.10Moderate84,600
5Apr 6, 202535.00+9.00Moderate85,700
6Feb 5, 193934.80+8.80Minor92,400
7Feb 1, 195733.65+7.65Minor85,400
8Dec 20, 191533.60+7.60Minor85,600
9Feb 16, 194833.60+7.60Minor86,700
10May 10, 198433.48+7.48Minor79,600
11May 3, 201032.47+6.47Minor68,200
12Feb 19, 200332.41+6.41Minor79,700
13Apr 16, 197232.24+6.24Minor76,700
14Mar 25, 192932.00+6.00Minor83,000
15Jan 30, 191831.70+5.70Minor81,300
16Jan 25, 192031.70+5.70Minor79,100
17Feb 19, 202531.63+5.63Minor77,000
18Jan 23, 193730.60+4.60Minor70,700
19Jan 13, 197430.40+4.40Minor72,400
20Mar 14, 193530.30+4.30Minor75,400
21Mar 16, 197530.30+4.30Minor72,000
22Feb 3, 195030.05+4.05Minor73,500
23Mar 24, 195229.90+3.90Minor72,200
24Mar 3, 195529.90+3.90Minor74,000
25Jan 11, 194628.90+2.90Minor70,700
26Jan 5, 192428.80+2.80Minor69,400
27Feb 4, 195128.75+2.75Minor69,700
28Feb 16, 198928.66+2.66Minor74,600
29Feb 5, 192328.60+2.60Minor70,600
30Jan 9, 191328.50+2.50Minor70,000
31Feb 1, 193228.50+2.50Minor70,300
32Mar 21, 200228.08+2.08Minor67,600
33Dec 25, 192628.00+2.00Minor64,500
34Feb 27, 197227.20+1.20Minor63,100
35Jan 3, 191927.10+1.10Minor65,600
36Feb 22, 192227.10+1.10Minor66,000
37Mar 6, 199727.07+1.07Minor64,000
38Apr 3, 190826.90+0.90Minor67,000
39Feb 26, 201926.89+0.89Minor65,700
40Jan 7, 191726.60+0.60Minor64,800
41Apr 30, 197026.60+0.60Minor64,100
42Mar 5, 193426.30+0.30Minor65,900
43Jun 2, 200426.29+0.29Minor62,600
44Mar 12, 199426.28+0.28Minor61,800
45Feb 20, 195626.20+0.20Minor64,000

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.

December 10, 1978: 40.15 ft here, major flooding

March 3, 2021: 38.05 ft here, moderate flooding

March 1, 1962: 36.07 ft here, moderate 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 Lock this gaugeKY26.040.15 ft, Dec 10, 19781
Camp NelsonKY30.047.04 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FODK2, 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.