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Kentucky River at Heidelberg

Highest listed crest 35.60 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft139 crests since 1921

The Kentucky River at Heidelberg crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 139 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1921 to 2021. The highest, 35.60 ft on February 4, 1939, was major flooding, 15.60 feet above flood stage. 6 other gauges on the Kentucky River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
35.60 ft
February 4, 1939; 120,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
9
10th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
March 29, 2021
21.32 ft, minor flooding
Location
Lee County
Kentucky

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 Heidelberg
Action stage16.022Apr 5, 2000The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.087Mar 29, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage24.021Feb 17, 2003Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.09Mar 2, 2021Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

139 crests from 1921 to 2021. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Kentucky River at Heidelberg, 1921 to 2021 152025303540ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Apr 17, 1921: 17.90 ft, action stage; 29,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1922: 27.00 ft, moderate flooding; 75,100 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1922: 22.70 ft, minor flooding; 54,200 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1922: 20.90 ft, minor flooding; 45,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1923: 28.90 ft, moderate flooding; 84,800 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1923: 22.00 ft, minor flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1923: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1923: 20.40 ft, minor flooding; 43,500 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 1924: 23.00 ft, minor flooding; 55,600 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1924: 21.00 ft, minor flooding; 46,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1925: 22.00 ft, minor flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1926: 22.20 ft, minor flooding; 51,900 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1926: 20.50 ft, minor flooding; 44,000 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 1926: 30.00 ft, major flooding; 90,400 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1927: 26.30 ft, moderate flooding; 71,500 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1928: 18.90 ft, action stage; 35,300 cubic feet per secondNov 20, 1928: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 43,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1929: 26.50 ft, moderate flooding; 72,600 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1929: 20.00 ft, minor flooding; 41,400 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1929: 34.40 ft, major flooding; 113,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1931: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1932: 27.90 ft, moderate flooding; 79,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1932: 21.90 ft, minor flooding; 50,500 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1932: 21.50 ft, minor flooding; 48,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1933: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1934: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 44,500 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1934: 27.20 ft, moderate flooding; 76,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1934: 20.10 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1935: 28.60 ft, moderate flooding; 83,300 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1935: 20.30 ft, minor flooding; 43,000 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1935: 23.70 ft, minor flooding; 58,900 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1935: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1936: 24.00 ft, moderate flooding; 60,300 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1937: 20.40 ft, minor flooding; 43,500 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1937: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 44,500 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1937: 21.40 ft, minor flooding; 48,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1938: 19.20 ft, action stage; 37,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1939: 35.60 ft, major flooding; 120,000 cubic feet per secondApr 21, 1940: 19.55 ft, action stage; 39,300 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 1941: 18.18 ft, action stage; 31,300 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1942: 18.00 ft, action stage; 30,200 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1942: 23.54 ft, minor flooding; 58,500 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1943: 25.15 ft, moderate flooding; 66,200 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 1943: 21.44 ft, minor flooding; 48,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1944: 20.80 ft, minor flooding; 45,600 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1944: 21.34 ft, minor flooding; 48,100 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1944: 20.18 ft, minor flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1944: 22.15 ft, minor flooding; 52,400 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1945: 21.86 ft, minor flooding; 51,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 31.76 ft, major flooding; 90,300 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1947: 23.83 ft, minor flooding; 57,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1948: 32.60 ft, major flooding; 104,000 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1948: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 42,800 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1949: 19.90 ft, action stage; 39,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1950: 25.84 ft, moderate flooding; 69,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1951: 31.84 ft, major flooding; 100,000 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1952: 26.10 ft, moderate flooding; 70,500 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1953: 18.14 ft, action stage; 30,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1955: 26.98 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1955: 20.69 ft, minor flooding; 44,900 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1955: 20.65 ft, minor flooding; 44,700 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1955: 22.44 ft, minor flooding; 53,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1956: 26.83 ft, moderate flooding; 74,200 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1956: 22.47 ft, minor flooding; 53,200 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1956: 23.90 ft, minor flooding; 59,800 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 35.00 ft, major flooding; 116,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1958: 24.63 ft, moderate flooding; 63,300 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1959: 19.31 ft, action stage; 37,700 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1960: 17.71 ft, action stage; 28,500 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1961: 17.92 ft, action stage; 29,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1962: 29.28 ft, moderate flooding; 90,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 25.87 ft, moderate flooding; 69,400 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 1964: 18.12 ft, action stage; 30,800 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1965: 20.42 ft, minor flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 17.60 ft, action stage; 27,900 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 23.22 ft, minor flooding; 56,600 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1968: 20.20 ft, minor flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1969: 20.60 ft, minor flooding; 44,500 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1970: 23.50 ft, minor flooding; 58,000 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1971: 21.55 ft, minor flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1972: 23.40 ft, minor flooding; 57,500 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1972: 22.70 ft, minor flooding; 54,200 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1972: 20.82 ft, minor flooding; 45,600 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1973: 23.17 ft, minor flooding; 56,400 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1974: 27.55 ft, moderate flooding; 77,900 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1975: 28.74 ft, moderate flooding; 84,000 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1976: 19.94 ft, action stage; 41,100 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 24.57 ft, moderate flooding; 63,000 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1978: 22.50 ft, minor flooding; 53,300 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 28.32 ft, moderate flooding; 81,800 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 1979: 17.08 ft, action stage; 25,400 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1981: 21.34 ft, minor flooding; 48,700 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1982: 18.38 ft, action stage; 33,200 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1983: 20.70 ft, minor flooding; 43,800 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1984: 30.90 ft, major flooding; 94,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1985: 17.16 ft, action stage; 27,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1986: 18.94 ft, action stage; 35,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1987: 17.36 ft, action stage; 28,500 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1989: 22.92 ft, minor flooding; 56,300 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1989: 22.27 ft, minor flooding; 53,200 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1991: 22.42 ft, minor flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1993: 18.40 ft, action stage; 34,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1994: 20.20 ft, minor floodingMar 29, 1994: 22.61 ft, minor flooding; 54,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1995: 19.99 ft, action stage; 42,300 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1997: 21.60 ft, minor floodingApr 20, 1998: 22.32 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2000: 17.11 ft, action stage; 28,500 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2002: 20.77 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2003: 27.10 ft, moderate flooding; 76,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 2003: 20.02 ft, minor floodingApr 11, 2003: 21.12 ft, minor floodingJan 3, 2004: 20.51 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 2004: 23.86 ft, minor flooding; 60,718 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2004: 22.58 ft, minor flooding; 54,688 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 21.30 ft, minor flooding; 48,839 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 2004: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 42,412 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2005: 21.50 ft, minor floodingMay 5, 2009: 21.67 ft, minor flooding; 46,900 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2009: 22.57 ft, minor flooding; 53,000 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2010: 21.24 ft, minor flooding; 44,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2010: 20.02 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 20.78 ft, minor flooding; 41,200 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2013: 20.21 ft, minor flooding; 36,801 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 2013: 20.03 ft, minor flooding; 35,684 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 2015: 23.37 ft, minor flooding; 57,026 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2015: 20.43 ft, minor flooding; 38,201 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2015: 20.67 ft, minor flooding; 39,769 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 2015: 21.49 ft, minor flooding; 45,473 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2016: 20.93 ft, minor flooding; 41,520 cubic feet per secondMay 2, 2016: 20.94 ft, minor flooding; 41,588 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2019: 21.57 ft, minor flooding; 43,449 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 2019: 21.52 ft, minor flooding; 43,200 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2019: 20.28 ft, minor flooding; 36,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 21.57 ft, minor flooding; 43,449 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2020: 20.84 ft, minor flooding; 39,342 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2020: 20.08 ft, minor flooding; 35,400 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2021: 33.69 ft, major flooding; 89,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2021: 21.32 ft, minor flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 35.60 ft, Feb 4, 1939 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Kentucky River at Heidelberg 1920s: 18 18 1930s: 17 1940s: 12 1950s: 12 1960s: 6 1970s: 11 1980s: 5 1990s: 5 2000s: 12 2010s: 14 2020s: 5 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 139 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Kentucky River at Heidelberg
1Feb 4, 193935.60+15.60Major120,000
2Jan 30, 195735.00+15.00Major116,000
3Mar 24, 192934.40+14.40Major113,000
4Mar 2, 202133.69+13.69Major89,400
5Feb 15, 194832.60+12.60Major104,000
6Feb 2, 195131.84+11.84Major100,000
7Jan 9, 194631.76+11.76Major90,300
8May 8, 198430.90+10.90Major94,600
9Dec 23, 192630.00+10.00Major90,400
10Feb 28, 196229.28+9.28Moderate90,300
11Feb 4, 192328.90+8.90Moderate84,800
12Mar 14, 197528.74+8.74Moderate84,000
13Mar 13, 193528.60+8.60Moderate83,300
14Dec 9, 197828.32+8.32Moderate81,800
15Jan 31, 193227.90+7.90Moderate79,700
16Jan 12, 197427.55+7.55Moderate77,900
17Mar 4, 193427.20+7.20Moderate76,100
18Feb 17, 200327.10+7.10Moderate76,500
19Feb 21, 192227.00+7.00Moderate75,100
20Mar 1, 195526.98+6.98Moderate75,000
21Feb 19, 195626.83+6.83Moderate74,200
22Feb 27, 192926.50+6.50Moderate72,600
23May 31, 192726.30+6.30Moderate71,500
24Mar 24, 195226.10+6.10Moderate70,500
25Mar 12, 196325.87+5.87Moderate69,400
26Feb 2, 195025.84+5.84Moderate69,200
27Mar 20, 194325.15+5.15Moderate66,200
28May 8, 195824.63+4.63Moderate63,300
29Apr 6, 197724.57+4.57Moderate63,000
30Apr 7, 193624.00+4.00Moderate60,300
31Apr 17, 195623.90+3.90Minor59,800
32Feb 7, 200423.86+3.86Minor60,718
33Jun 29, 194723.83+3.83Minor57,900
34May 15, 193523.70+3.70Minor58,900
35Dec 31, 194223.54+3.54Minor58,500
36Apr 29, 197023.50+3.50Minor58,000
37Feb 26, 197223.40+3.40Minor57,500
38Mar 6, 201523.37+3.37Minor57,026
39Mar 8, 196723.22+3.22Minor56,600
40Nov 29, 197323.17+3.17Minor56,400
41Jan 4, 192423.00+3.00Minor55,600
42Jun 16, 198922.92+2.92Minor56,300
43Mar 11, 192222.70+2.70Minor54,200
44Apr 14, 197222.70+2.70Minor54,200
45Mar 29, 199422.61+2.61Minor54,800
46May 31, 200422.58+2.58Minor54,688
47May 9, 200922.57+2.57Minor53,000
48Jan 27, 197822.50+2.50Minor53,300
49Mar 15, 195622.47+2.47Minor53,200
50Mar 23, 195522.44+2.44Minor53,000

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.

February 4, 1939: 35.60 ft here, major flooding

January 30, 1957: 35.00 ft here, major flooding

March 24, 1929: 34.40 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
Heidelberg this gaugeKY20.035.60 ft, Feb 4, 19399
RavennaKY21.040.30 ft, Mar 2, 202112
Ford LockKY26.040.15 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

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HLDK2, 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.