Rivers in Kentucky
Cumberland River at Williamsburg
Below flood stage
4.69ftStage
Observed Thu, Sep 24, 5:00 AM EDT
- Flood stage
- 21.00 ft
- Forecast crest
- 4.60 ftThu, Sep 24, 2:00 PM EDT
- Record crest
- 35.03 ft1977
Flood stages and impacts
| Category | Stage |
|---|---|
| Major flood | 32.00 ft |
| Moderate flood | 27.50 ft |
| Minor flood | 21.00 ft |
| Action | 17.00 ft |
- 39.40 ftThe levee and floodwall will begin to overtop.
- 37.00 ftFloodwall is threatened. Full evacuation of the Williamsburg downtown area is necessary.
- 36.00 ftOvertopping or failure of levee and floodwall is possible.
- 35.03 ftFlooding will exceed the highest flood on record.
- 31.00 ftFlooding threatens many homes and businesses. Roads begin to flood, severing evacuation routes. Major flooding threatens downtown area.
- 25.00 ftLow lying areas along George Hayes Road flood.
- 21.00 ftFlooding threatens low lying roads and structures.
Flood outlook
Chance of flooding, September to November
| Category | Chance |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 28% |
| Moderate flooding | 10% |
| Major flooding | 6% |
The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 22, 2026.
Crest history
129 crests on NOAA’s list since 1886.
| # | Date | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 7, 1977 | 35.03 ft |
| 2 | February 8, 2020 | 35.02 ft |
| 3 | March 31, 1886 | 35.00 ft |
| 4 | March 15, 1975 | 34.54 ft |
| 5 | January 10, 1946 | 34.20 ft |
| 6 | January 31, 1957 | 33.78 ft |
| 7 | March 25, 1929 | 32.70 ft |
| 8 | February 13, 1994 | 31.96 ft |
| 9 | February 18, 2025 | 31.19 ft |
| 10 | November 30, 1973 | 31.13 ft |
| 11 | May 9, 1984 | 31.10 ft |
| 12 | February 4, 1939 | 30.90 ft |
| 13 | March 30, 2021 | 30.71 ft |
| 14 | April 21, 1998 | 30.70 ft |
| 15 | February 21, 1991 | 30.38 ft |
| 16 | March 21, 2002 | 29.96 ft |
| 17 | February 2, 1951 | 29.85 ft |
| 18 | January 2, 1970 | 29.42 ft |
| 19 | March 14, 1963 | 29.19 ft |
| 20 | May 29, 1973 | 29.18 ft |
| 21 | February 18, 2003 | 28.90 ft |
| 22 | December 4, 1991 | 28.90 ft |
| 23 | April 11, 2003 | 28.71 ft |
| 24 | February 15, 1948 | 28.60 ft |
| 25 | February 25, 2019 | 28.58 ft |
Most recent crests
- February 18, 2025: 31.19 ft
- March 30, 2021: 30.71 ft
- March 2, 2021: 24.64 ft
- May 21, 2020: 23.02 ft
- April 14, 2020: 24.88 ft
- March 22, 2020: 22.57 ft
- February 8, 2020: 35.02 ft
- February 25, 2019: 28.58 ft
- February 8, 2019: 23.24 ft
- April 25, 2017: 28.38 ft
Nearby
Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.
What this means
Forecasts by the Ohio River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.
Sources
Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.