Flood — Lawrence, Kentucky

2025-02-15 to 2025-02-16 · near Martha, Lawrence, Kentucky

Event narrative

Blaine Creek near Blaine exceeded a bankfull level of 17 feet on the night of February 15th. The creek crested around 18.5 feet early the next morning, then gradually receded below bankfull the evening of the 16th. While the creek was out of its banks, flooding occurred along the intersection of Left Fork and Right Fork Laurel Roads, low sections along KY Route 32, and in the back lot and playground of Blaine Elementary School.

Wider weather episode

Light showers started to arrive into northeast Kentucky on the evening of February 14th, with more substantial rain spreading across the area overnight into the 15th as a warm front approached from the south. While precipitation coverage eroded from southeast Ohio and northwest West Virginia during the afternoon, moderate to heavy rain continued to trail across northeast Kentucky. This precipitation band lifted north with a front during the night, then a passing low pushed additional showers through with a cold front on the 16th. Rain turned to snow as cold air moved in behind the front, then light snow showers lingered into the 17th. Two to three inches of rain led to widespread flooding and many road closures across northeast Kentucky.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.0152, -82.9081)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234596. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.