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Little Sandy River at Leon

Highest listed crest 31.00 ftFlood stage 31.0 ft30 crests since 1962

The Little Sandy River at Leon crested above flood stage 1 time among the 30 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1962 to 2015. The highest, 31.00 ft on February 28, 1962, was minor flooding. 1 other gauge on the Little Sandy River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
31.00 ft
February 28, 1962; 10,800 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
31.0 ft
Major flooding from 38.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 28, 1962
31.00 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 Leon
Action stage29.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)31.01Feb 28, 1962Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage32.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage38.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

30 crests from 1962 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Sandy River at Leon, 1962 to 2015 010203040ft Flood stage 31.0 ftMajor 38.0 ft Feb 28, 1962: 31.00 ft, minor flooding; 10,800 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1963: 23.67 ft, below flood stage; 6,180 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1964: 21.00 ft, below flood stage; 4,840 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 1965: 21.24 ft, below flood stage; 4,960 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1966: 24.55 ft, below flood stage; 6,670 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 26.32 ft, below flood stage; 7,730 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1968: 23.35 ft, below flood stage; 4,830 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1970: 17.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,470 cubic feet per secondJul 21, 1971: 17.31 ft, below flood stage; 2,400 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1972: 22.16 ft, below flood stage; 5,420 cubic feet per secondJan 10, 1974: 19.07 ft, below flood stage; 4,670 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 1974: 20.28 ft, below flood stage; 2,880 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1975: 17.57 ft, below flood stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondOct 18, 1975: 19.26 ft, below flood stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1977: 14.44 ft, below flood stage; 1,510 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1978: 25.31 ft, below flood stage; 7,650 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1980: 9.63 ft, below flood stage; 2,010 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1981: 9.65 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1982: 9.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,960 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1983: 9.84 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1984: 9.79 ft, below flood stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondDec 26, 1984: 9.59 ft, below flood stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1985: 9.87 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 1986: 9.74 ft, below flood stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 1987: 9.84 ft, below flood stage; 2,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1989: 10.22 ft, below flood stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1990: 9.78 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2002: 20.24 ft, below flood stageMar 11, 2015: 18.26 ft, below flood stageApr 4, 2015: 17.56 ft, below flood stage Highest, 31.00 ft, Feb 28, 1962 19701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Sandy River at Leon 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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

Highest listed crests, Little Sandy River at Leon
1Feb 28, 196231.000.00Minor10,800
2Mar 7, 196726.32−4.68Below flood stage7,730
3Dec 9, 197825.31−5.69Below flood stage7,650
4May 1, 196624.55−6.45Below flood stage6,670
5Mar 12, 196323.67−7.33Below flood stage6,180
6Mar 14, 196823.35−7.65Below flood stage4,830
7Apr 22, 197222.16−8.84Below flood stage5,420
8Mar 27, 196521.24−9.76Below flood stage4,960
9Mar 5, 196421.00−10.00Below flood stage4,840
10Jan 16, 197420.28−10.72Below flood stage2,880
11Mar 21, 200220.24−10.76Below flood stage—
12Oct 18, 197519.26−11.74Below flood stage3,770
13Jan 10, 197419.07−11.93Below flood stage4,670
14Mar 11, 201518.26−12.74Below flood stage—
15Mar 12, 197517.57−13.43Below flood stage4,280
16Apr 4, 201517.56−13.44Below flood stage—
17Apr 28, 197017.50−13.50Below flood stage2,470
18Jul 21, 197117.31−13.69Below flood stage2,400
19Apr 8, 197714.44−16.56Below flood stage1,510
20Feb 15, 198910.22−20.78Below flood stage4,380
21Dec 3, 19859.87−21.13Below flood stage2,770
22May 17, 19839.84−21.16Below flood stage2,660
23Dec 28, 19879.84−21.16Below flood stage2,660
24Apr 24, 19849.79−21.21Below flood stage2,480
25Jan 3, 19909.78−21.22Below flood stage2,450
26Nov 13, 19869.74−21.26Below flood stage2,340
27May 20, 19819.65−21.35Below flood stage2,060
28Mar 6, 19809.63−21.37Below flood stage2,010
29Mar 15, 19829.61−21.39Below flood stage1,960
30Dec 26, 19849.59−21.41Below flood stage1,900

The worst floods along the Little Sandy River

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

February 28, 1962: 31.00 ft here, minor flooding

  • GraysonKY · Feb 28, 1962 · 25.50 ft · Moderate

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
Leon this gaugeKY31.031.00 ft, Feb 28, 19620
GraysonKY21.030.57 ft, Mar 2, 19974

Other gauges in Carter County

Flood gauges in Carter County
Grayson21.030.57 ft, Mar 2, 19974
Olive Hill10.014.50 ft, Feb 6, 20250

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge LEOK2, 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.