Flood in McCracken County, Kentucky

A prolonged major river flood that peaked in February subsided in March. Information on the February crest height and the total property damage estimate is contained in the February report. The flood damaged about 50 homes in McCracken County. Levee and flood wall gates were installed in the Paducah area. This action along with heavy rainfall in west Kentucky and backwater from the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers caused widespread flooding in the southeast part of McCracken County. Smaller rivers and creeks such as the Clarks River had nowhere to drain and kept rising with each successive round of heavy rain. One fatality occurred due to a vehicle that drove into Clarks River floodwaters. A male, age 59, drove around a barricade and into floodwaters off Highway 787 near the Marshall County line. His girlfriend escaped the vehicle, but he did not. His body was recovered and CPR was administered but to no avail. Countywide, a damage assessment indicated 35 residences sustained minor damage and 15 sustained major damage. Numerous roads were closed around the county, especially in the flood plain west of Paducah and the Clarks River basin in eastern McCracken County. Some of the largest state roads that were closed included Highway 131 south of Reidland, Highway 305 in West Paducah, and Highway 284 between Reidland and Paducah. A Red Cross shelter was opened in Paducah. The City of Paducah declared a state of emergency and installed most of the floodgates in the floodwall. The city's convention center was inaccessible for over a week due to its location outside the floodwall. A makeshift barrier was installed around the convention center to prevent flooding.

Moderate to major river flooding subsided in March. The rainy weather pattern that dominated January and February became less active in March. The winter of 2018-19 ended up being the fourth wettest winter on record at Paducah, where records go back to 1937. February was the second wettest February on record at Paducah. Record rainfall in the Cumberland and Tennessee Valleys sent a large volume of water into Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. Both lakes crested around 367 feet, 8 feet above their summer pool stage.