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Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland

Highest listed crest 15.88 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft18 crests since 1969

The Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland crested above flood stage 6 times among the 18 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1969 to 2020. The highest, 15.88 ft on April 4, 1977, was moderate flooding, 3.88 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
15.88 ft
April 4, 1977; 10,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
0
6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
February 6, 2020
12.13 ft, minor flooding
Location
Harlan County
Kentucky

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland
Action stage9.512Apr 23, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.04Feb 6, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.02Apr 4, 1977Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

18 crests from 1969 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland, 1969 to 2020 10121416ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Dec 30, 1969: 14.64 ft, moderate flooding; 8,560 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1970: 11.62 ft, action stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1971: 11.61 ft, action stage; 4,370 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1972: 10.52 ft, action stage; 3,240 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 11.96 ft, action stage; 4,790 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1973: 12.07 ft, minor flooding; 4,920 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 1974: 12.30 ft, minor flooding; 5,220 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1975: 10.78 ft, action stage; 3,500 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1977: 15.88 ft, moderate flooding; 10,700 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 11.44 ft, action stage; 6,890 cubic feet per secondMar 23, 1991: 10.05 ft, action stage; 4,880 cubic feet per secondDec 2, 1991: 11.64 ft, action stage; 7,220 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 1994: 11.01 ft, action stage; 6,240 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 2002: 12.63 ft, minor flooding; 8,850 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 10.73 ft, action stage; 5,820 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2015: 11.17 ft, action stage; 6,600 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2017: 10.09 ft, action stage; 4,630 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2020: 12.13 ft, minor flooding; 6,230 cubic feet per second Highest, 15.88 ft, Apr 4, 1977 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 1 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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. 26 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 8.00 ft on Aug 8, 1898; 10.00 ft on Jan 28, 1918; 10.20 ft on Jan 1, 1927; 10.00 ft on May 30, 1927; 6.50 ft on Mar 23, 1929; 7.50 ft on Feb 3, 1939; and more.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Poor Fork Cumberland River at Cumberland
1Apr 4, 197715.88+3.88Moderate10,700
2Dec 30, 196914.64+2.64Moderate8,560
3Mar 18, 200212.63+0.63Minor8,850
4Jan 11, 197412.30+0.30Minor5,220
5Feb 6, 202012.13+0.13Minor6,230
6Nov 28, 197312.07+0.07Minor4,920
7Mar 16, 197311.96−0.04Action4,790
8Dec 2, 199111.64−0.36Action7,220
9Apr 28, 197011.62−0.38Action4,380
10May 7, 197111.61−0.39Action4,370
11May 7, 198411.44−0.56Action6,890
12Mar 5, 201511.17−0.83Action6,600
13Feb 11, 199411.01−0.99Action6,240
14Mar 30, 197510.78−1.22Action3,500
15Feb 16, 200310.73−1.27Action5,820
16Feb 25, 197210.52−1.48Action3,240
17Apr 23, 201710.09−1.91Action4,630
18Mar 23, 199110.05−1.95Action4,880

Other gauges in Harlan County

Flood gauges in Harlan County
Baxter16.034.20 ft, Apr 4, 197717

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CMBK2, 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.