Jackson, KY

Weather Forecast Office

Major Flooding Inundates Southeast Kentucky Followed by Light Snow From February 6-7, 2020

Overview

Video Courtesy of Ben Childers.

Video Courtesy of Salih Grahic.

Beginning on February 3rd, numerous rounds of rainfall began to impact eastern Kentucky. This continued through February 7th, highlighted by heavy rainfall from the evening of February 5th through the first half of February 6th. Rain amounts of 4-6 inches fell across much of southeastern Kentucky over this period. This led to major flooding and numerous mudslides across portions of Whitley, Perry, Letcher, Leslie, Knox, Harlan, Clay, and Bell Counties. The Governor subsequently declared a State of Emergency for these 8 counties.

Major flooding occurred along the Cumberland River at Pineville, Barbourville, and Williamsburg. Additionally, the communities of Loyall and Baxter experienced major flooding. Numerous roads became impassable across large portions of Whitley, Knox, Clay, Leslie, Letcher, Harlan, Perry, and Bell counties. In particular, Harlan County was hit extremely hard with the Kentucky Mesonet site on Black Mountain (4031 foot elevation) receiving over 6.5 inches of rain over this stretch.

Flood gates were closed in Pineville and Harlan, further impacting local travel. A couple of mobile homes were flooded and swept down the Cumberland River in Harlan County, while swift water rescues took place in Bell and Harlan Counties. Elkhorn Dam in Jenkins had water rushing over it for a period of time on February 6. A man went missing in Whitley County and was later found deceased in his car on Kentucky Highway 779 after his attempt to drive into flood waters. A total of seven homes were reported to have been in or under water across Whitley County as the Cumberland River in Williamsburg crested to its third highest stage on record of 34.84 feet. The city of Pineville saw the river rise to its second highest crest in history at 1019.06 feet, leading to several families being stranded without homes.

While impacts were certainly greatest along the Cumberland River, several portions of the Kentucky River also flooded. Several roads were impacted in Hazard and Whitesburg, while Booneville, Heidelberg, and Ravenna also exceeded flood stage. Along the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River, a rarity occurred as Pikeville hit flood stage and forced the city to shut its flood gates.

Aerial view of Harlan from near the Dayholt Community. Courtesy of Stacy Stewart via WYMT.

Flooding
Snow
Photos
Radar
Storm Reports
Rainfall
Environment

Below is a look at all of the Cumberland, Kentucky, and Levisa Fork River forecast points. Pineville, Barbourville, and Williamsburg all reached major flood stage. Williamsburg reached 34.84 feet, which fell just short of their all time record crest of 35.03 feet. For Williamsburg, this was the third highest crest, following April of 1977 and March 1886. Pineville reached 1019.06 feet, which was the 2nd highest crest on record following April of 1977.

Cumberland River Hydrographs


Cumberland	Loyall


Pineville	Barbourville	Williamsburg

Kentucky River Hydrographs


Whitesburg	Hazard	Jackson	Booneville

Heidelberg		Ravenna

Levisa Fork Hydrographs


Pikeville	Prestonsburg	Paintsville

Location	County	Source	Snowfall Amount
Cressy 1 NNE	Estill	COOP	4.3"
Clover Bottom 1 W	Jackson	COOP	4.0"
Oggs Station	Montgomery	NWS Employee	3.8"
Mount Vernon 1 SSE	Rockcastle	Trained Spotter	3.5"
Brodhead 2 SE	Rockcastle	Public	3.0"
Stark 4 N	Elliott	COOP	2.5"
Ezel 2 SSW	Morgan	COOP	2.5"
Waltersville 1N	Powell	COOP	2.5"
Farmers 1 SE	Rowan	COOP	2.5"
Stanton 1 NNE	Powell	NWS Employee	2.5"
Clay City 2 ENE	Powell	COOP	2.4"
Murphyfork 1 SW	Morgan	NWS Employee	2.3"
Mount Olive 2 NNE	Lee	COOP	2.1"
Beverly	Bell	Trained Spotter	2.0"
Lawson	Breathitt	NWS Employee	1.2"
NWS Office	Breathitt	NWS	1.0"
Thornton	Letcher	Public	1.0"
Ermine 1 SW	Letcher	Public	1.0"


Baxter Courtesy of Brandy Caudill	Baxter Courtesy of Brandy Caudill	Bell County Courtesy of the Big One 106.3 FM	Bell County Courtesy of WYMT


Bledsoe Mudslide Courtesy of Harlan Enterprise	Cumberland Falls Courtesy of Kentucky Mesonet	Cumberland Falls Courtesy of Kentucky Mesonet	Fresh Meadows in Harlan Courtesy of Chrystal Collett


Harlan Flood Gates Closed Courtesy of Roger Fannin	Hiram in Harlan County Courtesy of Pete Cornett	Kelly Street in Evarts Courtesy of Renee Doan	Pineville behind Shell gas Station Courtesy of Christina Floyd

Radar Loop 1 pm Wednesday, February 5th Through 1 pm Thursday, February 6th

Storm Reports

Local Storm Reports from February 5-7.

Click here for an interactive map.

5 Day Rainfall Totals (February 4th - 8th)

Location	County	Source	5 Day Total
Pineville River Gage	Bell	USGS	7.14"
Harlan 3 N	Harlan	COOP	6.52"
Black Mountain	Harlan	KY Mesonet	6.51"
Barbourville	Knox	KY Mesonet	5.23"
Harlan 3 N	Harlan	COOP	5.15"
Whitesburg 2 SE	Letcher	COOP	4.90"
Whitesburg	Letcher	KY Mesonet	4.30"
Whitley City	McCreary	KY Mesonet	3.91"
Dorton	Pike	KY Mesonet	3.67"
Somerset 7 NNE	Pulaski	KY Mesonet	3.64"
McKee 5 S	Jackson	KY Mesonet	3.24"
Hindman 5 N	Knott	KY Mesonet	2.91"
Quicksand	Breathitt	KY Mesonet	2.90"
Booneville 2 S	Owsley	KY Mesonet	2.68"
Paintsville 4 W	Johnson	KY Mesonet	2.11"
West Liberty 2 SW	Morgan	KY Mesonet	1.26"
Owingsville 4 S	Bath	KY Mesonet	1.17"

Surface Map Wednesday, February 5th to Thursday, February 6th

Precipitable Water 4 pm Wednesday, February 5th to 6 am Thursday, February 6th

850mb Moisture Transport 4 pm Wednesday, February 5th to 6 am Thursday, February 6th

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