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Russell Fork near Elkhorn City

Highest listed crest 24.80 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft11 crests since 1958

The Russell Fork near Elkhorn City crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 11 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1958 to 2015. The highest, 24.80 ft on April 4, 1977, was major flooding, 3.80 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.80 ft
April 4, 1977; 54,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
1
51st of 72 gauges in Kentucky
Most recent flood crest
April 4, 1977
24.80 ft, major flooding
Location
Pike County
Kentucky

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Russell Fork near Elkhorn City
Action stage17.08Mar 5, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.01Mar 12, 1963Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage22.00—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.01Apr 4, 1977Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

11 crests from 1958 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Russell Fork near Elkhorn City, 1958 to 2015 14161820222426ft Flood stage 21.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft May 8, 1958: 17.00 ft, action stage; 26,000 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1961: 17.20 ft, action stage; 26,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1962: 19.20 ft, action stageMar 12, 1963: 21.73 ft, minor flooding; 41,800 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1967: 18.59 ft, action stage; 30,600 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1973: 15.91 ft, below flood stage; 21,500 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1977: 24.80 ft, major flooding; 54,200 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1978: 17.84 ft, action stage; 27,900 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 1984: 20.49 ft, action stage; 36,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 2003: 17.92 ft, action stageMar 5, 2015: 18.72 ft, action stage Highest, 24.80 ft, Apr 4, 1977 196019701980199020002010

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Russell Fork near Elkhorn City 1950s: 0 1960s: 1 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  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. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 24.21 ft on Jan 29, 1957.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Russell Fork near Elkhorn City
1Apr 4, 197724.80+3.80Major54,200
2Mar 12, 196321.73+0.73Minor41,800
3May 7, 198420.49−0.51Action36,000
4Feb 1, 196219.20−1.80Action—
5Mar 5, 201518.72−2.28Action—
6Mar 7, 196718.59−2.41Action30,600
7Feb 16, 200317.92−3.08Action—
8Jan 26, 197817.84−3.16Action27,900
9Jul 31, 196117.20−3.80Action26,700
10May 8, 195817.00−4.00Action26,000
11Mar 16, 197315.91−5.09Below flood stage21,500

Other gauges in Pike County

Flood gauges in Pike County
Pikeville35.052.72 ft, Jan 30, 19574
Williamson27.048.35 ft, Feb 16, 20254

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ELKK2, 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.