3,183 first-hand accounts of flood events in Kentucky, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
A strong storm system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on February 15th and 16th, 2025, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding, severe weather, and winter weather to central Kentucky.
Read the full account →A strong storm system moved across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on February 15th and 16th, 2025, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding, severe weather, and winter weather to central Kentucky.
Read the full account →A small thunderstorm complex over the Pennyrile region of western Kentucky slowed down and intensified during the morning. A very well-defined and slow-moving mesoscale convective vortex over southeast Missouri drifted off to the southeast through the morning hours, tracking…
Read the full account →Between June 17-19, the Ohio Valley sat in a warm moist environment with a stationary front draped from northeast to southwest across Indiana and on through Texas. Little wind shear existed above central Kentucky.
Read the full account →A slow moving low pressure system, in combination with the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Gordon, and abundant moisture brought a long duration heavy rainfall event to much of the Bluegrass region of eastern Kentucky.
Read the full account →Numerous strong thunderstorms training along a stalled out warm front triggered a record 24 hour rainfall for the county. The combination of flooding and/or flash flooding from the record rainfall resulted in an estimated 50,000 homes effected by flooding.
Read the full account →Repeated rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall across the entire Ohio River basin totaled between 8 to 9 inches across central Kentucky from February 15 to February 28. These totals were generally 7+ inches, or 200 to 400% of normal values for mid to late February.
Read the full account →On the afternoon of September 22nd, a flash flood watch was issued to cover southeast Indiana and areas in and around the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky.||By September 23rd, a cold front stretched west to east from western Tennessee to far |east-central Kentucky on through eastern…
Read the full account →A strong storm system brought a prolonged period of moderate to heavy rainfall to the middle Ohio River Valley on the 15th and 16th. While rainfall amounts were never heavy enough to lead to flash flooding, when all was said and done, 2.5 to 3 inches of rain fell over a roughly…
Read the full account →Record to near record rainfall from early March 1 through March 2 caused the highest flooding on the Kentucky River at Frankfort since 1937 with the river cresting at 45.2 feet at 1 pm est March 3 (flood stage is 31 feet).
Read the full account →Well south of a frontal boundary, a moist and unstable air mass resided over the Ohio Valley. The ground was already wetter than normal from previous rains. A southwest and west wind along with daytime heating formed showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon of the 20th.
Read the full account →Heavy rains fell across the Big Sandy and Kentucky River basins, primarily on Thursday, May 2. This resulted in excessive runoff and flooding in four eastern Kentucky counties. At 11 p.m EDT on May 2.
Read the full account →Widespread major flooding occurred in the Hopkinsville area in response to 8 to 11 inches of rain in a 36-hour period. One fatality was directly attributed to the flooding in Hopkinsville, where a 10-year-old girl was swept into a culvert while playing in a low-lying area.
Read the full account →On September 5, 2018, the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon moved north from the Gulf of Mexico. It carried copious amounts of moisture as it continued to rotate while slowly moving north.
Read the full account →The large mainstem rivers remained well above flood stage following several rounds of heavy rain in late February. February monthly precipitation was 4 to 7 inches above normal, with monthly totals of 8 to 10 inches common.
Read the full account →A mesoscale convective system moved southwestward across western Kentucky. The slow movement of the thunderstorm complex resulted in isolated flash flooding.
Read the full account →Record flooding occurred all along the Licking River basin as 24 hour rainfall amounts beginning early March 1 totaled from 6 to 10 inches. Stoner Creek at Paris crested at a record 30.0 feet (flood stage is 18 feet) at 5 am est on March 2.
Read the full account →A 10 year old boy fell into Hinkston Creek, which had swelled to 12 feet in heavy rain, and was swept in a storm drain. The boy was killed, and an attempted rescuer was also slightly injured.
Read the full account →A line of strong to severe thunderstorms rolled through southern Indiana and central Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours of December 31, 2018.
Read the full account →Numerous thunderstorms occurred along a very slow-moving cold front that extended from northwest Arkansas to the Lower Ohio Valley. The storms produced excessive rainfall and isolated flash flooding, as well as minor river flooding.
Read the full account →Minor to moderate flooding occurred along the Ohio River. A heavy rainfall event on March 3 was followed by a major winter storm on March 4 into early March 5. Two more heavy rainfall events occurred in quick succession.
Read the full account →A 41-year-old male drowned in Cypress Creek near Central City around 5 P.M. The man was attempting to ride in a rubber inner-tube on a swollen portion of the creek. Witnesses report the current forced him under a concrete bridge. The body was located a few days later.
Read the full account →After a very wet start to April 2015, another slow moving system brought widespread heavy rain to portions of central Kentucky. Widespread amounts of 2 to 4 inches fell across central and southern Kentucky. Isolated 5 inch amounts were reported.
Read the full account →Estimated rainfall from 5 to over 12 inches across the county in less than 36 hours caused area creeks and streams to rise out of their banks. Numerous roads were covered by water causing several vehicles to stall in the water.
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