Rivers in Kentucky

Licking River at Blue Licks Spring

Nicholas County, KentuckyNWS BLSK2USGS 03250500Louisville office

Below flood stage
4.54ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 2:00 AM EDT

Flood stage
25.00 ft
Record crest
47.60 ft1997

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood45.00 ft
Moderate flood42.00 ft
Minor flood25.00 ft
Action23.00 ft
  1. 47.60 ftAll low areas in and near Blue Licks Spring are flooded.
  2. 45.00 ftWater reaches surface of old KY 68 bridge over the Licking River.
  3. 42.00 ftHomes in and near Blue Licks Spring have water in the first floor.
  4. 25.00 ftCropland flooding begins.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding13%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

107 crests on NOAA’s list since 1844.

#DateStage
1March 3, 199747.60 ft
2January 1, 193747.40 ft
3April 13, 194845.00 ft
4February 16, 198941.40 ft
5March 10, 196441.20 ft
6May 5, 201040.96 ft
7April 6, 202540.43 ft
8February 3, 195040.20 ft
9December 9, 197839.50 ft
10March 2, 196239.45 ft
11March 6, 194539.10 ft
12January 6, 195038.80 ft
13January 1, 184438.60 ft
14March 19, 194338.00 ft
15February 19, 200037.70 ft
16May 6, 200336.99 ft
17June 21, 195036.60 ft
18January 12, 197436.58 ft
19February 3, 193936.40 ft
20April 22, 197236.30 ft
21January 1, 194336.20 ft
22February 14, 194836.20 ft
23March 10, 196736.20 ft
24April 13, 201135.70 ft
25July 14, 193835.60 ft

Most recent crests

  • April 6, 2025: 40.43 ft
  • February 17, 2025: 34.41 ft
  • March 1, 2021: 32.58 ft
  • June 18, 2019: 26.27 ft
  • February 21, 2019: 25.55 ft
  • February 21, 2019: 26.87 ft
  • September 25, 2018: 30.96 ft
  • September 10, 2018: 31.33 ft
  • February 22, 2018: 28.90 ft
  • June 24, 2017: 25.67 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Ohio River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

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.