Web Portal Changes: The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) hosted at https://water.weather.gov will be replaced by the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS), with a target of Spring 2024. Existing AHPS content and features will be preserved and expanded within NWPS. The NWS is now accepting feedback on NWPS. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/owp/operations for more information.

Experimental National Water Center Products: Flood Inundation Mapping services are now available for 10% of the U.S. population. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/owp/operations for more information. The National Hydrologic Discussion, Area Hydrologic Discussion, Flood Hazard Outlook, and real-time geospatial services depicting River Forecast Center and National Water Model forecasts, continue to be accessible via the URL above, as described in the StoryMap here.

DID YOU KNOW... Please try our new TEST hydrograph page link at: https://preview.water.noaa.gov/gauges/abcde - Just replace “abcde” with your local hydrograph five character ID found in the lower left corner of the hydrograph.  In late March of 2024, the base URL path will become water.noaa.gov.  Feedback can be provided HERE

Weather Forecast Office Paducah, KY

Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center

Hydrograph

River at a Glance

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Probability Information Weekly Chance of Exceeding Levels Chance of Exceeding Levels During Entire Period Short-term Probabilistic Guidance (Experimental)

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Printable Image About this graph Tabular Data (UTC) Tabular Data (CST) Datum: Not Available Metadata

NOTE: River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. NOTE: Forecasts for the Ohio River at Smithland Lock and Dam are issued routinely year-round.

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Upstream Gauge

Downstream Gauge

Flood Categories (in feet) Major Flood Stage: 50 Moderate Flood Stage: 48 Flood Stage: 40 Action Stage: 35 Low Stage (in feet): -9999 Historic Crests (1) 54.83 ft on 05/06/2011 (2) 51.83 ft on 02/25/2019 (3) 51.44 ft on 03/12/1997 (4) 50.14 ft on 03/02/2018 (5) 49.80 ft on 01/08/1991 Show More Historic Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Recent Crests (1) 44.04 ft on 03/02/2022 (2) 42.37 ft on 03/10/2021 (3) 46.59 ft on 02/20/2020 (4) 51.83 ft on 02/25/2019 (5) 50.14 ft on 03/02/2018 Show More Recent Crests (P): Preliminary values subject to further review. Low Water Records (1) 10.85 ft on 06/10/2012 (2) 11.20 ft on 08/07/2006 (3) 11.30 ft on 01/31/2000 Show More Low Water Records For more information on your flood risk go to www.floodsmart.gov. Show FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layers not showing? Why aren't the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers showing on the ESRI Map? Possible reasons: There are no FEMA National Flood Hazard Layers for the location which you are viewing on ESRI Maps. The FEMA Web Mapping Service (WMS) is down. Note: Your zoom level may have changed. ESRI's zoom levels must be between 14 and 16 to show National Flood Hazard layers.

Zoom Level:16 Legend FEMA Layer Gauge Location Disclaimer Latitude/Longitude Disclaimer: The gauge location shown in the above map is the approximate location based on the latitude/longitude coordinates provided to the NWS by the gauge owner.

Flood Impacts & Photos

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51	Large amounts of property damage can be expected. Evacuation of many homes and businesses becomes necessary. Highway 60 in Smithland closes.
40	Minor flooding occurs affecting mainly bottomland and surrounding and low lying areas.
Photos (1) Smithland Lock and Dam (2) Ohio River Upstream (3) Ohio River Downstream

About This Location

Latitude: 37.158333° N, Longitude: 88.426111° W, Horizontal Datum: NAD27 River Stage Reference Frame Gauge Height Flood Stage Uses NWS stage 0 ft 40 ft Interpreting hydrographs and NWS watch, warnings, and forecasts, and inundation maps Vertical Datum Elevation (gauge height = 0) Elevation (gauge height = flood stage) Elevation information source NAVD88 289.10 ft 329.1 ft Survey grade GPS equipment, FEMA flood plain maps, newer USGS topographic maps NGVD 29 289.29 ft 329.29 ft Older USGS topographic maps, NGVD29 benchmarks MSL Not Available Not Available Older USGS topographic maps, MSL benchmarks Other 290 ft 330 ft Ohio River Datum Current/Historical Observations: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Data and Site Info for Smithland Lock and Dam

Resources

Hydrologic Resources Text Products Past Precipitation Forecast Precipitation River Forecast Centers River Stage Summary National Precipitation Graphics Water Resources Outlook - Ohio River Valley Excessive Rainfall Outlook Inundation Mapping Locations OHRFC Ensemble River Forecasts NCRFC Ensemble River Forecasts LMRFC Ensemble River Forecasts Add'l Mississippi/Ohio River Information ** 28-Day Mississippi/Ohio River Forecasts **

Additional Resources Area Hydrographs NWS Precipitation and River Forecasting AHPS Iframes for Developers Mobile iNWS for emergency management Snow Information Drought Information U.S. Water Monitor USGS WaterWatch USGS WaterAlert USACE RiverGages TVA Lake Information Midwest Regional Climate Center Additional Precipitation Information CoCoRaHS Precipitation Precipitation Frequencies

Collaborative Agencies The National Weather Service prepares its forecasts and other services in collaboration with agencies like the US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Army Corps of Engineers, Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Park Service, ALERT Users Group, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and many state and local emergency managers across the country. For details, please click here. NWS Information National Weather Service Paducah Weather Forecast Office 8250 Highway 3520 West Paducah, KY 42086-6440 (270) 744-6440 Ask Questions/Webmaster Page last modified: 2-Nov-2020 7:29 PM Disclaimer Credits Glossary Privacy Policy About Us Career Opportunities