Kentucky River at Lock 3 at Gest, KY Water Level Today

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 03290080 sits on the Kentucky River in the Lower Kentucky basin. Its datum sits 445 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 2012, 13 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

Two gauged sites sit upstream of here. The closest is Kentucky River at Lock 4 at Frankfort, KY, reading 5,411 square miles. Downstream the next reading comes from Kentucky River at Lock 2 at Lockport, KY at 6,180 square miles.

Normal flows here

The Kentucky River runs a median of 4,255 cfs at this gauge across 13 years of record. February is the fullest month at a median 13,900 cfs, and September the leanest at 1,250 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 120,000 cfs in 2025, and the lowest is 118 cfs in 2020.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 2012 to 2025. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The highest crest on record is 60.5 feet, in January 1937.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge GSTK2. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.