Flood — Carter, Kentucky

2025-02-15 to 2025-02-16 · near Limestone, Carter, Kentucky

Event narrative

Tygarts Creek above Olive Hill exceeded a bankfull level of 10 feet on the night of February 15th. After cresting just over 13 feet overnight, the creek lowered back into its banks before sunrise on the 16th. Before doing so, however, flooding occurred within fields, low sections of Biggs Bridge Road, and Bond Hollow Road.

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 → (38.2718, -83.2058)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234597. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.