Flood in Carter County, Kentucky

Small stream flooding occurred with the final rounds of showers during the evening of the 3rd mostly in the eastern portion of the county. This was mainly along the Little Fork watershed. An earth level had nearly 3 feet of dirt washed away from its center near Willard.

In the Hitchins to Willard vicinity, the county damage assessment was 20 homes destroyed with 18 other homes with major damage. Another 27 homes had minor damage. A bank and 2 churches also sustained water damage. The former elementary school in Hitchins, now a private school, also had water damage. In the southwestern part of the county, West Brinegar Road had a culvert wash out from Macabee Creek.

The Little Sandy River crested nearly 3 feet higher, compared to the high water on the 11th of March. The water level at Grayson reached 24.5 feet during the afternoon on the 4th. Flood stage is 21 feet. Roads and numerous fields were blocked by high water. Some barns and outbuildings were also surrounded by water.

A warm front lifted through during the morning of the 2nd with only a few showers. Rounds of showers and thunderstorms formed in the lower Ohio River Valley and moved quickly east into northeast Kentucky during the evening hours. These rounds continued into the morning of the 3rd, before a lull in the early and mid afternoon. Rain totals of 1.25 to 1.5 inches were common by midday on the 3rd.

Additional rounds of showers and thunderstorms moved across during the evening hours. This was ahead of a low pressure wave along a strong cold front. Dew points were in the upper 50s with temperatures in the low and mid 60s The evening convection was elongated along the flow in Lawrence County with rain rates of a half inch to an inch in less than an hour. The headwaters of the Little Fork, a tributary of the Little Sandy River also was hit by this rain. This water flowed north and caused flooding in Carter County.

Rain totals in a 24 to 30 hour time span were on the order of 3 to 4 inches in Lawrence County. The mesonet gauge at Louisa went from a total of 1.4 inches of rain at midday on the 3rd, to a total near 4 inches by 2000E. Their event rain total was 4.2 inches. The heaviest 5 minute rate was around 2 tenths of an inch during the evening. Flooding along the smaller streams was common. In its wake, flooding of the larger streams lingered into the 4th.

A major federal disaster was declared in Kentucky. It included Lawrence and Carter Counties in the initial declaration. The disaster also encompassed the flooding during the 14th and 15th of the month. See FEMA DR-4217 for more information.