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Levisa Fork at Prestonsburg

Highest listed crest 45.71 ftFlood stage 40.0 ft5 crests since 1977

The Levisa Fork at Prestonsburg crested above flood stage 4 times among the 5 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1977 to 2025. The highest, 45.71 ft on April 6, 1977, was moderate flooding, 5.71 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Levisa Fork crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
45.71 ft
April 6, 1977; 45,500 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
40.0 ft
Major flooding from 46.0 ft
Crests at major
0
4 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 17, 2025
43.37 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Floyd 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 Prestonsburg
Action stage22.01Feb 17, 2003The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)40.01Mar 2, 2021Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage43.03Feb 17, 2025Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage46.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

5 crests from 1977 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Levisa Fork at Prestonsburg, 1977 to 2025 3840424446ft Flood stage 40.0 ftMajor 46.0 ft Apr 6, 1977: 45.71 ft, moderate flooding; 45,500 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 43.88 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 2003: 39.88 ft, action stageMar 2, 2021: 40.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 17, 2025: 43.37 ft, moderate flooding; 53,034 cubic feet per second Highest, 45.71 ft, Apr 6, 1977 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Levisa Fork at Prestonsburg 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 2 2 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 8 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 47.90 ft on Feb 1, 1862; 45.30 ft on Jan 29, 1918; 43.80 ft on Mar 23, 1929; 41.83 ft on Feb 5, 1939; 41.51 ft on Mar 1, 1955; 48.78 ft on Jan 30, 1957; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Levisa Fork at Prestonsburg
1Apr 6, 197745.71+5.71Moderate45,500
2May 7, 198443.88+3.88Moderate—
3Feb 17, 202543.37+3.37Moderate53,034
4Mar 2, 202140.50+0.50Minor—
5Feb 17, 200339.88−0.12Action—

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.

April 6, 1977: 45.71 ft here, moderate flooding

May 7, 1984: 43.88 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PikevilleKY · May 7, 1984 · 45.85 ft · Moderate
  • PaintsvilleKY · May 9, 1984 · 40.45 ft · Moderate

February 17, 2025: 43.37 ft here, moderate flooding

  • PikevilleKY · Feb 16, 2025 · 46.68 ft · Moderate
  • PaintsvilleKY · Feb 17, 2025 · 40.02 ft · Moderate

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
Prestonsburg this gaugeKY40.045.71 ft, Apr 6, 19770
PaintsvilleKY35.045.92 ft, Jan 31, 19576

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge PSTK2, 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.