Flood Levels

As of today this is the information on the flooding in Paducah.

          1937                 1914                1884                   1867                   1997                2011


The 1937 Flood in Paducah Paducah was built on the banks of the Ohio River at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.  For almost all of its life, Paducah and the river cooperated to promote the growth of the city.  But on January 21, 1937, the Ohio River rose above the 52.7 foot flood stage and the waters flowing over the earthen levee laid seige to the city.
The flooding was caused by unusually heavy rainfall; in Paducah 18 inches fell in 16 days.  It was in January, and at times the flood waters had a skim of ice.  For two weeks the river continued to rise, cresting at 60.8 feet on February 2, and about 27,000 residents were forced to evacuate and live in temporary shelters, or with friends or relatives.  The river slowly receded and dropped below the 50-foot flood stage on February 15, and the residents started to return to clean up the mess.


The 1997 Ohio River Flood in Paducah

A total of 5 to 10 inches of rain fell over much of the Lower Ohio Valley from about February 28 to March 1, 1997. The Ohio River crested at about its 2nd highest level in the past 50 years at Paducah. Total damage from flash flooding and river flooding combined was close to 100 million dollars in the counties served by our office. There were several flood-related fatalities. Numerous evacuations and road closures were necessary. A federal disaster area was declared for most of the counties along the Ohio River.

Here is some information that I pulled from paducahflood.com. I thought it was intresting and wanted to share with my family and friends. Please continue to pray for our town. It may be small and unknown to many, but it is my home and the place where I spend my time and enjoy. It is an important part of my life and it makes me sad to see this happening. It is truly devistating.
At the website there are many photos of the flood of 1937 and 2011 please feel free to take a look.