181-2 Flood Events in the Kentucky River Basin Analyzed by Historical, Hydrological and Climate Reanalysis Data

Session: Community Engaged Research for Environmental Sustainability and Community Resilience (Posters)

Presenting Author:

Authors:

Abstract:

The Kentucky River Basin has seven gage stations with long-term records spanning the last centuries. The two most significant flood events in the 20th century occurred January 1937 and December 1978. While both events had a strong impact on the Lower Kentucky River, the 1978 event had a broader reach as it also affected the Upper Kentucky River.

Sea surface temperature anomaly data show that the Gulf of Mexico was 1.0°C to 2.0°C above normal during both floods, potentially contributing to significant moisture flow toward the Ohio River Valley. In January 1937, precipitation totals reached 526.3 mm at Lockport in the Kentucky River Basin. This intense and widespread precipitation forced a backwater effect of the Ohio River on the Kentucky River, helping to keep water levels above flood thresholds for up to 35 days. Local newspapers reported that in 1937, floodwaters forced 500,000 people to leave their homes across the Ohio Valley, and nearly half of the state capital Frankfort was flooded, including the old state reformatory, which required the evacuation of nearly 3,000 inmates. In contrast, during the December 1978 flood, water levels remained above flood thresholds for 14 days. Although monthly precipitation totals were less extreme (about 327.5 mm), much of this rain fell between December 7 and 9. The state capital was severely impacted by the December 1978 flood, with more than half of Frankfort's downtown inundated, forcing around 1000 people to flee. With expectations of increasing extreme weather events in the southeastern United States, revisiting and learning from past floods like those of 1937 and 1978 is essential—not only to improve preparedness and resilience, but also to preserve the collective memory of their profound impacts on communities.

In this study, we present preliminary results on the reconstruction of these floods and their impacts on the lives of affected communities, based on the integration of observed daily hydrometeorological data (streamflow, water levels, precipitation, and temperature), climate reanalysis data from NOAA-CIRES-DOE 20CRv3, sea surface temperature data (NOAA-ERSST V5), and analysis of historical documents reporting the lived experiences of local communities.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7796

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