PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Area rivers are beginning to drop, after drainage from heavy rain on Thursday swelled many of them to near flood stage.
As of 11:30 a.m. Saturday, the Levisa, Tug and Russell forks of the Big Sandy River had for the most part all reached their peaks and had begun dropping. The exception a were in Paintsville and Louisa, where the Levisa Fork was expected to reach its peak around noon and then begin dropping.
In Pikeville, the river level reached action stage but has since fallen well below that mark. According to the National Weather Service, when rivers reach action stage, “Action is taken for possible high water. Water may cause minor impacts and be a nuisance to persons near the stream. Local governments or agencies may take actions to reduce property damage and danger to life.”
In Williamson, the Tug Fork briefly reached minor flood stage overnight, but it has since dropped several feet below action stage.
The Levisa Fork remains in action stage in Prestonsburg and Paintsville.
The Russell Fork never reached action stage in Elkhorn City.
