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Little Sandy River at Grayson

Highest listed crest 30.57 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft64 crests since 1937

The Little Sandy River at Grayson crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 64 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2025. The highest, 30.57 ft on March 2, 1997, was major flooding, 9.57 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
30.57 ft
March 2, 1997; 16,300 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
Major flooding from 28.0 ft
Crests at major
4
26th of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 5, 2025
23.79 ft, minor flooding
Location
Carter County
Kentucky

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Little Sandy River at Grayson
Action stage19.014Mar 5, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.034Apr 5, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.012Mar 1, 2021Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage28.04Mar 20, 2002Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

64 crests from 1937 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Sandy River at Grayson, 1937 to 2025 1520253035ft Flood stage 21.0 ftMajor 28.0 ft Feb 1, 1937: 25.00 ft, moderate flooding; 16,600 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1939: 26.25 ft, moderate flooding; 19,800 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1940: 20.06 ft, action stage; 8,200 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 1942: 19.47 ft, action stage; 7,940 cubic feet per secondDec 30, 1942: 24.03 ft, minor flooding; 15,400 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 1944: 19.58 ft, action stage; 8,040 cubic feet per secondJan 2, 1945: 21.18 ft, minor flooding; 9,530 cubic feet per secondJun 3, 1946: 21.70 ft, minor flooding; 10,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1950: 27.53 ft, moderate flooding; 24,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1951: 21.01 ft, minor flooding; 9,780 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1952: 25.83 ft, moderate flooding; 19,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1953: 20.00 ft, action stage; 8,210 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1955: 23.28 ft, minor flooding; 13,500 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1956: 22.07 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 8, 1958: 21.20 ft, minor flooding; 9,840 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1960: 20.50 ft, action stage; 9,000 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1961: 21.50 ft, minor flooding; 10,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1962: 25.50 ft, moderate flooding; 17,600 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 20.82 ft, action stage; 9,380 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1965: 22.19 ft, minor flooding; 7,780 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 1966: 25.10 ft, moderate flooding; 9,640 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 28.20 ft, major flooding; 11,800 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1968: 21.15 ft, minor flooding; 7,160 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1972: 23.94 ft, minor flooding; 8,830 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1973: 22.42 ft, minor flooding; 7,920 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 23.12 ft, minor flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1975: 21.44 ft, minor flooding; 7,330 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 19.14 ft, action stage; 5,900 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 22.27 ft, minor flooding; 7,780 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 28.99 ft, major flooding; 13,900 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1983: 19.43 ft, action stage; 5,740 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1984: 19.03 ft, action stage; 5,880 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1989: 26.91 ft, moderate flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 1990: 19.47 ft, action stage; 6,160 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1990: 22.59 ft, minor flooding; 8,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 1993: 20.62 ft, action stage; 6,910 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1994: 23.82 ft, minor flooding; 9,240 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 1996: 20.69 ft, action stage; 6,110 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1997: 30.57 ft, major flooding; 16,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2000: 22.41 ft, minor flooding; 7,310 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2002: 29.20 ft, major flooding; 14,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2003: 24.66 ft, minor flooding; 9,960 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2003: 25.43 ft, moderate flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondSep 9, 2004: 22.90 ft, minor flooding; 8,530 cubic feet per secondSep 18, 2004: 25.71 ft, moderate flooding; 10,809 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 2006: 19.36 ft, action stage; 5,320 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2010: 27.88 ft, moderate flooding; 12,779 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 2010: 25.11 ft, moderate flooding; 10,310 cubic feet per secondApr 12, 2011: 23.54 ft, minor flooding; 9,032 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 2014: 22.34 ft, minor flooding; 8,148 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 20.80 ft, action stage; 7,090 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2015: 21.64 ft, minor flooding; 7,667 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 2015: 24.47 ft, minor flooding; 9,769 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2015: 23.60 ft, minor flooding; 9,080 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2015: 22.19 ft, minor flooding; 8,043 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2017: 22.82 ft, minor flooding; 8,474 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2018: 22.61 ft, minor flooding; 7,420 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 2019: 21.36 ft, minor flooding; 6,567 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2019: 22.47 ft, minor flooding; 7,322 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2021: 27.95 ft, moderate flooding; 9,691 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 2022: 22.04 ft, minor flooding; 6,427 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2025: 24.42 ft, minor flooding; 7,721 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2025: 24.39 ft, minor flooding; 7,706 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 2025: 23.79 ft, minor flooding; 7,400 cubic feet per second Highest, 30.57 ft, Mar 2, 1997 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Sandy River at Grayson 1930s: 2 1940s: 3 1950s: 6 1960s: 6 1970s: 6 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 6 2010s: 12 12 2020s: 5 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 64 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Little Sandy River at Grayson
1Mar 2, 199730.57+9.57Major16,300
2Mar 20, 200229.20+8.20Major14,200
3Dec 9, 197828.99+7.99Major13,900
4Mar 7, 196728.20+7.20Major11,800
5Mar 1, 202127.95+6.95Moderate9,691
6May 3, 201027.88+6.88Moderate12,779
7Sep 22, 195027.53+6.53Moderate24,500
8Feb 16, 198926.91+5.91Moderate11,100
9Feb 1, 193926.25+5.25Moderate19,800
10Mar 23, 195225.83+4.83Moderate19,200
11Sep 18, 200425.71+4.71Moderate10,809
12Feb 28, 196225.50+4.50Moderate17,600
13May 6, 200325.43+4.43Moderate10,600
14Jul 21, 201025.11+4.11Moderate10,310
15Feb 14, 196625.10+4.10Moderate9,640
16Feb 1, 193725.00+4.00Moderate16,600
17Feb 17, 200324.66+3.66Minor9,960
18Apr 4, 201524.47+3.47Minor9,769
19Feb 6, 202524.42+3.42Minor7,721
20Feb 16, 202524.39+3.39Minor7,706
21Dec 30, 194224.03+3.03Minor15,400
22Apr 22, 197223.94+2.94Minor8,830
23Mar 10, 199423.82+2.82Minor9,240
24Apr 5, 202523.79+2.79Minor7,400
25Apr 15, 201523.60+2.60Minor9,080
26Apr 12, 201123.54+2.54Minor9,032
27Mar 6, 195523.28+2.28Minor13,500
28Jan 11, 197423.12+2.12Minor8,340
29Sep 9, 200422.90+1.90Minor8,530
30Jun 24, 201722.82+1.82Minor8,474
31Sep 10, 201822.61+1.61Minor7,420
32Dec 31, 199022.59+1.59Minor8,300
33Dec 17, 201922.47+1.47Minor7,322
34Dec 9, 197322.42+1.42Minor7,920
35Feb 19, 200022.41+1.41Minor7,310
36Feb 5, 201422.34+1.34Minor8,148
37Jan 26, 197822.27+1.27Minor7,780
38Mar 27, 196522.19+1.19Minor7,780
39Jul 15, 201522.19+1.19Minor8,043
40Dec 15, 195622.07+1.07Minor11,100
41Feb 4, 202222.04+1.04Minor6,427
42Jun 3, 194621.70+0.70Minor10,000
43Mar 11, 201521.64+0.64Minor7,667
44Jun 16, 196121.50+0.50Minor10,200
45Mar 29, 197521.44+0.44Minor7,330
46Feb 24, 201921.36+0.36Minor6,567
47May 8, 195821.20+0.20Minor9,840
48Jan 2, 194521.18+0.18Minor9,530
49Mar 12, 196821.15+0.15Minor7,160
50Feb 1, 195121.01+0.01Minor9,780

Gauges on the Little Sandy River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Sandy River
LeonKY31.031.00 ft, Feb 28, 19620
Grayson this gaugeKY21.030.57 ft, Mar 2, 19974

Other gauges in Carter County

Flood gauges in Carter County
Leon31.031.00 ft, Feb 28, 19620
Olive Hill10.014.50 ft, Feb 6, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GYNK2, 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.