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Licking River at Blue Licks Spring

Highest listed crest 47.60 ftFlood stage 25.0 ft106 crests since 1844

The Licking River at Blue Licks Spring crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 106 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1844 to 2025. The highest, 47.60 ft on March 3, 1997, was major flooding, 22.60 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Licking River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 2 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
47.60 ft
March 3, 1997
Flood stage
25.0 ft
Major flooding from 45.0 ft
Crests at major
3
37th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 6, 2025
40.43 ft, minor flooding
Location
Nicholas County
Kentucky

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Licking River at Blue Licks Spring
Action stage23.03Jan 17, 1995The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)25.0100Apr 6, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage42.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage45.03Mar 3, 1997Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

106 crests from 1844 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Licking River at Blue Licks Spring, 1844 to 2025 20304050ft Flood stage 25.0 ftMajor 45.0 ft Jan 1, 1844: 38.60 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1913: 35.50 ft, minor floodingJan 1, 1937: 47.40 ft, major floodingJul 14, 1938: 35.60 ft, minor flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1939: 36.40 ft, minor flooding; 24,800 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1939: 30.90 ft, minor flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1939: 33.60 ft, minor flooding; 22,300 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1939: 33.20 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1940: 28.70 ft, minor flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1941: 26.70 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1942: 27.90 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1943: 36.20 ft, minor flooding; 24,600 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1943: 38.00 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1944: 25.90 ft, minor flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1945: 28.50 ft, minor flooding; 17,700 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1945: 39.10 ft, minor flooding; 27,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1946: 28.90 ft, minor flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1946: 30.40 ft, minor flooding; 19,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1948: 36.20 ft, minor flooding; 25,700 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 1948: 45.00 ft, major flooding; 35,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1949: 30.20 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1949: 28.60 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 1950: 38.80 ft, minor flooding; 26,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 3, 1950: 40.20 ft, minor flooding; 27,800 cubic feet per secondJun 21, 1950: 36.60 ft, minor flooding; 24,200 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1950: 29.20 ft, minor flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondJan 15, 1951: 32.50 ft, minor flooding; 20,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 1951: 28.40 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1952: 28.90 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1952: 34.00 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1953: 31.19 ft, minor flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1955: 35.32 ft, minor flooding; 23,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1956: 35.45 ft, minor flooding; 23,800 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 1956: 28.12 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1957: 28.80 ft, minor flooding; 16,700 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1958: 31.64 ft, minor flooding; 20,100 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1959: 30.47 ft, minor flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1960: 28.83 ft, minor flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1961: 34.10 ft, minor flooding; 21,900 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1962: 39.45 ft, minor flooding; 28,100 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1963: 31.46 ft, minor flooding; 19,500 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1964: 41.20 ft, minor flooding; 30,500 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1965: 25.80 ft, minor flooding; 15,200 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1966: 30.15 ft, minor flooding; 18,400 cubic feet per secondDec 10, 1966: 30.60 ft, minor floodingMar 10, 1967: 36.20 ft, minor flooding; 24,100 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 1968: 27.80 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1970: 31.50 ft, minor flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1971: 27.12 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 1971: 27.89 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1972: 36.30 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1972: 31.88 ft, minor flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1973: 29.70 ft, minor floodingJan 12, 1974: 36.58 ft, minor flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 1975: 33.48 ft, minor flooding; 21,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1976: 27.10 ft, minor floodingDec 9, 1978: 39.50 ft, minor floodingSep 22, 1979: 33.96 ft, minor floodingNov 26, 1986: 26.50 ft, minor floodingNov 22, 1988: 27.00 ft, minor floodingJan 15, 1989: 23.50 ft, action stageFeb 16, 1989: 41.40 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1989: 27.30 ft, minor floodingDec 19, 1990: 30.70 ft, minor floodingMar 23, 1991: 31.70 ft, minor floodingDec 3, 1991: 26.70 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 1992: 24.60 ft, action stageFeb 22, 1993: 27.40 ft, minor floodingJan 28, 1994: 27.00 ft, minor floodingMar 11, 1994: 27.50 ft, minor floodingJan 17, 1995: 24.10 ft, action stageMay 19, 1995: 31.90 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1996: 28.50 ft, minor floodingMay 16, 1996: 33.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1997: 26.00 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 1997: 47.60 ft, major floodingJan 8, 1998: 26.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 12, 1998: 26.30 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 2000: 37.70 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2002: 34.98 ft, minor flooding; 25,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2003: 31.70 ft, minor floodingMay 6, 2003: 36.99 ft, minor flooding; 28,300 cubic feet per secondMar 8, 2004: 26.11 ft, minor flooding; 14,788 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2004: 27.53 ft, minor flooding; 17,300 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2006: 28.19 ft, minor flooding; 18,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2008: 27.05 ft, minor flooding; 15,534 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2008: 25.15 ft, minor flooding; 14,105 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2008: 31.40 ft, minor flooding; 21,500 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2010: 40.96 ft, minor flooding; 33,700 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2011: 35.70 ft, minor flooding; 26,700 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2011: 25.36 ft, minor flooding; 14,252 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2013: 27.04 ft, minor flooding; 17,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2014: 26.92 ft, minor flooding; 15,436 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2014: 26.98 ft, minor flooding; 15,484 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2015: 32.82 ft, minor flooding; 18,300 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 2015: 27.28 ft, minor flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2017: 27.23 ft, minor flooding; 16,400 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2017: 25.67 ft, minor flooding; 14,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2018: 28.90 ft, minor flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2018: 31.33 ft, minor flooding; 22,100 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 2018: 30.96 ft, minor flooding; 21,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 2019: 26.87 ft, minor flooding; 17,200 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 2019: 26.27 ft, minor flooding; 16,500 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 32.58 ft, minor flooding; 22,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2025: 34.41 ft, minor flooding; 24,300 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2025: 40.43 ft, minor flooding; 31,300 cubic feet per second Highest, 47.60 ft, Mar 3, 1997 1880192019602000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Licking River at Blue Licks Spring 1840s: 1 1850s: 0 1860s: 0 1870s: 0 1880s: 0 1890s: 0 1900s: 0 1910s: 1 1920s: 0 1930s: 6 1940s: 14 1950s: 15 15 1960s: 10 1970s: 11 1980s: 4 1990s: 13 2000s: 10 2010s: 15 2020s: 3 1840s1860s1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  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 106 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Licking River at Blue Licks Spring
1Mar 3, 199747.60+22.60Major—
2Jan 1, 193747.40+22.40Major—
3Apr 13, 194845.00+20.00Major35,900
4Feb 16, 198941.40+16.40Minor—
5Mar 10, 196441.20+16.20Minor30,500
6May 5, 201040.96+15.96Minor33,700
7Apr 6, 202540.43+15.43Minor31,300
8Feb 3, 195040.20+15.20Minor27,800
9Dec 9, 197839.50+14.50Minor—
10Mar 2, 196239.45+14.45Minor28,100
11Mar 6, 194539.10+14.10Minor27,200
12Jan 6, 195038.80+13.80Minor26,300
13Jan 1, 184438.60+13.60Minor—
14Mar 19, 194338.00+13.00Minor26,300
15Feb 19, 200037.70+12.70Minor—
16May 6, 200336.99+11.99Minor28,300
17Jun 21, 195036.60+11.60Minor24,200
18Jan 12, 197436.58+11.58Minor24,500
19Feb 3, 193936.40+11.40Minor24,800
20Apr 22, 197236.30+11.30Minor24,300
21Jan 1, 194336.20+11.20Minor24,600
22Feb 14, 194836.20+11.20Minor25,700
23Mar 10, 196736.20+11.20Minor24,100
24Apr 13, 201135.70+10.70Minor26,700
25Jul 14, 193835.60+10.60Minor24,100
26Jan 1, 191335.50+10.50Minor—
27Feb 18, 195635.45+10.45Minor23,800
28Mar 8, 195535.32+10.32Minor23,700
29Mar 21, 200234.98+9.98Minor25,800
30Feb 17, 202534.41+9.41Minor24,300
31May 9, 196134.10+9.10Minor21,900
32Mar 23, 195234.00+9.00Minor22,400
33Sep 22, 197933.96+8.96Minor—
34Apr 18, 193933.60+8.60Minor22,300
35Apr 25, 197533.48+8.48Minor21,300
36Jul 9, 193933.20+8.20Minor21,900
37May 16, 199633.00+8.00Minor—
38Apr 6, 201532.82+7.82Minor18,300
39Mar 1, 202132.58+7.58Minor22,400
40Jan 15, 195132.50+7.50Minor20,900
41May 19, 199531.90+6.90Minor—
42Dec 9, 197231.88+6.88Minor20,000
43Mar 23, 199131.70+6.70Minor—
44Feb 17, 200331.70+6.70Minor—
45May 7, 195831.64+6.64Minor20,100
46Apr 2, 197031.50+6.50Minor19,800
47Mar 17, 196331.46+6.46Minor19,500
48Apr 5, 200831.40+6.40Minor21,500
49Sep 10, 201831.33+6.33Minor22,100
50Mar 4, 195331.19+6.19Minor19,700

The worst floods along the Licking River

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

March 3, 1997: 47.60 ft here, major flooding

  • McKinneysburgKY · Mar 2, 1997 · 55.21 ft · Major · its highest
  • FalmouthKY · Mar 2, 1997 · 51.80 ft · Major · its highest

April 13, 1948: 45.00 ft here, major flooding

February 16, 1989: 41.40 ft here, minor flooding

  • FalmouthKY · Feb 17, 1989 · 39.00 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Licking River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Licking River
Blue Licks Spring this gaugeKY25.047.60 ft, Mar 3, 19973
FalmouthKY33.051.80 ft, Mar 2, 19974
McKinneysburgKY35.055.21 ft, Mar 2, 19972
SalyersvilleKY17.023.05 ft, May 31, 20041

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge BLSK2, 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.