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Levisa Fork at Paintsville

Highest listed crest 45.92 ftFlood stage 35.0 ft28 crests since 1918

The Levisa Fork at Paintsville crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 28 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1918 to 2025. The highest, 45.92 ft on January 31, 1957, was major flooding, 10.92 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Levisa Fork crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
45.92 ft
January 31, 1957; 69,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
35.0 ft
Major flooding from 42.0 ft
Crests at major
6
18th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2025
40.02 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Johnson County
Kentucky

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Levisa Fork at Paintsville
Action stage28.01Dec 9, 1978The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)35.011Feb 24, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage38.010Feb 17, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage42.06Apr 6, 1977Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

28 crests from 1918 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Levisa Fork at Paintsville, 1918 to 2025 34363840424446ft Flood stage 35.0 ftMajor 42.0 ft Jan 18, 1918: 40.70 ft, moderate floodingJan 29, 1918: 42.00 ft, major flooding; 69,000 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1929: 42.00 ft, major flooding; 60,500 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1932: 37.37 ft, minor flooding; 50,700 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1934: 36.60 ft, minor flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 1935: 35.14 ft, minor flooding; 49,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1939: 42.15 ft, major flooding; 62,300 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1946: 41.06 ft, moderate flooding; 58,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1948: 39.15 ft, moderate flooding; 53,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1950: 38.88 ft, moderate flooding; 47,700 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1955: 41.36 ft, moderate flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1955: 36.20 ft, minor flooding; 41,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1955: 35.10 ft, minor flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1956: 36.81 ft, minor flooding; 42,500 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1957: 45.92 ft, major flooding; 69,700 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1958: 41.06 ft, moderate flooding; 53,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 1962: 38.57 ft, moderate flooding; 43,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1963: 44.20 ft, major flooding; 58,100 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1967: 37.85 ft, minor flooding; 39,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1972: 37.26 ft, minor flooding; 38,500 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1974: 35.17 ft, minor flooding; 35,000 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1977: 42.19 ft, major flooding; 43,700 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 34.21 ft, action stage; 29,400 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1984: 40.45 ft, moderate flooding; 43,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2003: 37.67 ft, minor flooding; 41,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 35.00 ft, minor floodingMar 1, 2021: 39.72 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 2025: 40.02 ft, moderate flooding; 46,637 cubic feet per second Highest, 45.92 ft, Jan 31, 1957 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Levisa Fork at Paintsville 1910s: 2 1920s: 1 1930s: 4 1940s: 2 1950s: 7 7 1960s: 3 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 2 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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 46.60 ft on Feb 1, 1862.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Levisa Fork at Paintsville
1Jan 31, 195745.92+10.92Major69,700
2Mar 14, 196344.20+9.20Major58,100
3Apr 6, 197742.19+7.19Major43,700
4Feb 4, 193942.15+7.15Major62,300
5Jan 29, 191842.00+7.00Major69,000
6Mar 24, 192942.00+7.00Major60,500
7Mar 1, 195541.36+6.36Moderate53,900
8Jan 9, 194641.06+6.06Moderate58,300
9May 8, 195841.06+6.06Moderate53,200
10Jan 18, 191840.70+5.70Moderate—
11May 9, 198440.45+5.45Moderate43,400
12Feb 17, 202540.02+5.02Moderate46,637
13Mar 1, 202139.72+4.72Moderate—
14Feb 15, 194839.15+4.15Moderate53,800
15Feb 3, 195038.88+3.88Moderate47,700
16Feb 27, 196238.57+3.57Moderate43,600
17Mar 8, 196737.85+2.85Minor39,900
18Feb 17, 200337.67+2.67Minor41,300
19Jan 31, 193237.37+2.37Minor50,700
20Feb 26, 197237.26+2.26Minor38,500
21Apr 17, 195636.81+1.81Minor42,500
22Mar 4, 193436.60+1.60Minor49,100
23Mar 7, 195536.20+1.20Minor41,000
24Jan 12, 197435.17+0.17Minor35,000
25Mar 13, 193535.14+0.14Minor49,100
26Mar 17, 195535.10+0.10Minor38,700
27Feb 24, 201935.000.00Minor—
28Dec 9, 197834.21−0.79Action29,400

The worst floods along the Levisa Fork

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

January 31, 1957: 45.92 ft here, major flooding

  • PikevilleKY · Jan 30, 1957 · 52.72 ft · Major · its highest

March 14, 1963: 44.20 ft here, major flooding

  • PikevilleKY · Mar 12, 1963 · 50.00 ft · Major

April 6, 1977: 42.19 ft here, major flooding

  • PikevilleKY · Apr 5, 1977 · 51.46 ft · Major
  • PrestonsburgKY · Apr 6, 1977 · 45.71 ft · Moderate · its highest

Gauges on the Levisa Fork

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

Flood gauges on the Levisa Fork
PikevilleKY35.052.72 ft, Jan 30, 19574
PrestonsburgKY40.045.71 ft, Apr 6, 19770
Paintsville this gaugeKY35.045.92 ft, Jan 31, 19576

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PTVK2, 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.