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Levisa Fork at Pikeville

Highest listed crest 52.72 ftFlood stage 35.0 ft27 crests since 1862

The Levisa Fork at Pikeville crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 27 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1862 to 2025. The highest, 52.72 ft on January 30, 1957, was major flooding, 17.72 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
52.72 ft
January 30, 1957; 85,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
35.0 ft
Major flooding from 50.0 ft
Crests at major
4
26th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
February 16, 2025
46.68 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Pike 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 Pikeville
Action stage28.06Dec 2, 1991The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)35.014Mar 1, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage42.03Feb 16, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage50.04Apr 5, 1977Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

27 crests from 1862 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Levisa Fork at Pikeville, 1862 to 2025 2030405060ft Flood stage 35.0 ftMajor 50.0 ft Feb 1, 1862: 52.00 ft, major flooding; 82,900 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1953: 37.77 ft, minor flooding; 40,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1955: 38.63 ft, minor flooding; 42,400 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1955: 39.05 ft, minor flooding; 43,100 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1955: 37.12 ft, minor flooding; 39,800 cubic feet per secondApr 16, 1956: 39.30 ft, minor flooding; 45,200 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1957: 52.72 ft, major flooding; 85,500 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 42.79 ft, moderate flooding; 53,900 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1963: 36.47 ft, minor flooding; 39,300 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 50.00 ft, major flooding; 76,000 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1963: 36.24 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondMar 26, 1965: 32.85 ft, action stage; 32,900 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 40.99 ft, minor flooding; 49,200 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1973: 34.24 ft, action stage; 35,200 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 32.85 ft, action stage; 34,200 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1977: 51.46 ft, major flooding; 81,700 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 33.79 ft, action stage; 36,100 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 45.85 ft, moderate flooding; 42,000 cubic feet per secondOct 17, 1989: 32.93 ft, action stage; 22,700 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1991: 29.66 ft, action stage; 18,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1994: 35.09 ft, minor flooding; 25,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 39.97 ft, minor flooding; 33,000 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 40.39 ft, minor flooding; 33,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2018: 38.54 ft, minor flooding; 26,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2020: 37.45 ft, minor flooding; 25,100 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 36.21 ft, minor flooding; 23,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 46.68 ft, moderate flooding; 43,472 cubic feet per second Highest, 52.72 ft, Jan 30, 1957 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Levisa Fork at Pikeville 1860s: 1 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 7 7 1960s: 4 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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. 17 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 38.80 ft on Aug 1, 1903; 38.30 ft on Mar 27, 1913; 40.30 ft on Mar 4, 1917; 45.10 ft on Jan 28, 1918; 33.30 ft on Jan 23, 1920; 36.80 ft on Feb 3, 1923; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Levisa Fork at Pikeville
1Jan 30, 195752.72+17.72Major85,500
2Feb 1, 186252.00+17.00Major82,900
3Apr 5, 197751.46+16.46Major81,700
4Mar 12, 196350.00+15.00Major76,000
5Feb 16, 202546.68+11.68Moderate43,472
6May 7, 198445.85+10.85Moderate42,000
7May 7, 195842.79+7.79Moderate53,900
8Mar 7, 196740.99+5.99Minor49,200
9Mar 5, 201540.39+5.39Minor33,400
10Feb 16, 200339.97+4.97Minor33,000
11Apr 16, 195639.30+4.30Minor45,200
12Mar 7, 195539.05+4.05Minor43,100
13Feb 28, 195538.63+3.63Minor42,400
14Feb 11, 201838.54+3.54Minor26,900
15May 20, 195337.77+2.77Minor40,900
16Feb 7, 202037.45+2.45Minor25,100
17Mar 17, 195537.12+2.12Minor39,800
18Mar 6, 196336.47+1.47Minor39,300
19Mar 17, 196336.24+1.24Minor38,900
20Mar 1, 202136.21+1.21Minor23,100
21Feb 11, 199435.09+0.09Minor25,600
22Mar 17, 197334.24−0.76Action35,200
23Jan 26, 197833.79−1.21Action36,100
24Oct 17, 198932.93−2.07Action22,700
25Mar 26, 196532.85−2.15Action32,900
26Jan 11, 197432.85−2.15Action34,200
27Dec 2, 199129.66−5.34Action18,600

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 30, 1957: 52.72 ft here, major flooding

  • PaintsvilleKY · Jan 31, 1957 · 45.92 ft · Major · its highest

April 5, 1977: 51.46 ft here, major flooding

  • PaintsvilleKY · Apr 6, 1977 · 42.19 ft · Major
  • PrestonsburgKY · Apr 6, 1977 · 45.71 ft · Moderate · its highest

March 12, 1963: 50.00 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Levisa Fork

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

Flood gauges on the Levisa Fork
Pikeville this gaugeKY35.052.72 ft, Jan 30, 19574
PrestonsburgKY40.045.71 ft, Apr 6, 19770
PaintsvilleKY35.045.92 ft, Jan 31, 19576

Other gauges in Pike County

Flood gauges in Pike County
Elkhorn City21.024.80 ft, Apr 4, 19771
Williamson27.048.35 ft, Feb 16, 20254

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PKYK2, 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.