Red River level at Clay City
Kentucky · Paddling & whitewater
Measured at USGS 03283500 — RED RIVER AT CLAY CITY, KY · NWS forecast point CYCK2
Reading taken · as of 48 min ago
In its normal runnable range
At 41 CFS, this gauge is running 123% of normal for mid-September — above the 33 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 86 years of record (1931–2024).
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Flood stages at Clay City
National Weather Service categories for gauge CYCK2, WFO JKL. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 23.0 ft
- 23.0 ft Major flooding begins. Some residences are inundated with many roads blocked.
- 24.0 ft Many homes and some businesses are flooded.
- 26.8 ft Flooding will exceed the highest flood on record.
-
Moderate flood 19.0 ft
- 19.0 ft Moderate flooding begins. Several roads are impassable in and around Clay City. Some homes are flooded in low lying areas.
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Minor flood 17.0 ft
- 17.0 ft Low lying areas flood. Maple street near the Red River Ranch as well as Pompeii Road off of Highway 15 are impassable.
-
Action 13.0 ft
- 13.0 ft Water begins inundating Maple Street near the Red River Ranch.
- 14.0 ft Maple Street near the Red River Ranch is impassable.
- 15.0 ft Maple Street near the Red River Ranch is impassable.
- 16.0 ft Pompeii Road off of Highway 15 and Maple Street near the Red River Ranch are impassable.
- Right now 2.68 ft
NWS forecast: 3.30 ft by .
Flow history at Clay City
Daily values from USGS 03283500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for CYCK2 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Clay City
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 26.75 ft | 28,800 CFS | Dec 9, 1978 |
| 25.81 ft | 18,500 CFS | Mar 1, 2021 |
| 24.08 ft | 22,000 CFS | Jun 1, 2004 |
| 23.90 ft | 22,600 CFS | Feb 28, 1962 |
| 23.36 ft | 17,400 CFS | May 3, 2010 |
| 23.27 ft | 17,176 CFS | Apr 5, 2025 |
| 23.16 ft | 19,600 CFS | Feb 17, 2003 |
| 22.80 ft | 21,100 CFS | Jun 15, 1938 |
| 22.30 ft | 19,800 CFS | Jul 6, 1939 |
| 22.03 ft | 17,300 CFS | Feb 16, 1989 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Red River at Clay City
In Kentucky — the reading paddlers, anglers and outfitters here check before committing to a shuttle. Red River Gorge; purely rain-dependent.
Red River at Clay City — common questions
3 questions
How fast can Red River at Clay City come up?
Fast. It is free-flowing, so rain upstream moves it directly. Several feet in a few hours is normal after a heavy storm.
Is Red River at Clay City high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 33 CFS, from 86 years of record (1931–2024). Today is 123% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 03283500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for CYCK2 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.