1997 Flood Crest to be Breached???

One of the worst flooding events for Louisville in my lifetime occurred in 1997. River levels exceeded 38ft at the McAlpine Upper Gauge, some 15ft above flood stage. The Lower Gauge recorded about 70ft, again some 15ft above flood. I recall helping an older man and his wife clean up after the river inundated the first floor of their home. Water was some 4 ft high in the living room. This was along the Dixie Hwy corridor just past Kosmosdale near West Point.

I dug around and located an interesting archive for the 1997 flood in Louisville. The picture below is a view from the Clark Memorial bridge.

You can see additional pics and write-up for this event at the following site below:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/?n=flood97

Now, Old Man River is on the move again and threatens to breach that 1997 event. Latest river forecasts may be a bit too conservative. The latest forecast had UG at 33ft and LG at just under 65ft. I've compared the '97 event to this one. Yes, in '97, Louisville set the state all-time 24-hr precip record at 10.48". However, the amount of territory that is being/will be affected by this relentless, prolonged period of heavy rain is what's got me concerned.

The setup for our current flooding event has a forecast for more heavy rains right along the Ohio river and points just north and south. All rivers and other tributaries feed into the Ohio. Historical rainfall records have fallen and others will soon be broken over the next few days. This includes locations like Lexington and Frankfort, where April all-time rainfall records have already occurred. Such a prolonged period of heavy rainfall will not allow the River to recede much before additional heavy rains move in.

I expect flooding along the Ohio to continue through the end of the month and into the first part of Derby week. The Great Steamboat Race could be affected along with regular barge traffic on the river. I'll be posting my pics over the course of the next few days right here. I'll be visiting places like West Point, Greenwood boat ramp, Kosmosdale (near where the Ohio Valley drag strip is located), and others.

Keep checking back.
MS