Live updates: Flooding, evacuations continue throughout Kentucky as rain stops

The stubborn weather system that has brought five days of persistent and powerful rain storms across Kentucky is expected to ease by Monday. But the commonwealth is confronted Sunday with road closures, rising waters and evacuations.

“This is a historic flooding event,” Anderson County officials said on Facebook today.

Here’s the latest from the Herald-Leader staff:

Curfew set for Frankfort, WKU cancels classes

Frankfort Mayor Lane Wilkerson announced the city would be under a curfew from 8 p.m. Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday.

“We’re going to have police out, and we’re going to be monitoring this situation pretty closely,” Wilkerson said.

He encouraged people who are able to evacuate from flood areas to do so, and reminded residents to continue conserving water.

Additionally, Western Kentucky University canceled all classes on Monday due to extreme flooding in the region.

Mandatory evacuations announced in Mercer, Carroll counties

Additional mandatory evacuations were announced Sunday evening in Mercer County and Carroll County.

In Mercer County, residents in the Kentucky River Palisades area were ordered to evacuate immediately, according to an order from the Mercer County Judge/Executive Sarah Steele.

In Carroll County, located where the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers meet, the warning was more dire: Carrollton Mayor Robb Adams warned residents that if they didn’t evacuate, there may not be resources to assist them if the river levels keep rising.

“If you’re on the Kentucky River corridor anywhere, and you’re seeing this video, you need to evacuate,” Adams said in a video posted to Facebook. “You need to evacuate immediately.”

Adams said he’d been warned by the Kentucky Emergency Management office around noon that 10 gates at Dix Dam had been opened, resulting in a large release of water that could bring unprecedented flooding to areas along the Kentucky River.

The emergency management office warned it could bring higher water than ever recorded along the Kentucky River, he said.

Adams said the release was accidental, but officials in both Henry County and Franklin County said later Sunday the release was planned because Harrington Lake, near Dix Dam, was full.

Courts, government offices in Frankfort to close

The Kentucky Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Franklin County courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort will be closed Monday, April 7. Franklin County courts will be closed all week.

Perched along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is expected to see record-setting water levels into Monday as flooding continues throughout the state.

Court closures and schedule changes for courts statewide are posted on the Kentucky Court of Justice website. Weather-related closures and scheduling changes for judicial centers in each county are determined locally by the chief circuit judge, the chief district judge and the circuit court clerk.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Sunday all state offices in the Frankfort area will be closed Monday.

Mandatory evacuations in Anderson County

Mandatory evacuations have been announced in Anderson County for the following areas: Tyrone, Gilbert’s Creek and any other communities that are in low lying areas along the river, the Anderson County Department of Public Safety said.

“This is a historic flooding event,” the department said on Facebook. “Residents should understand that unknown impacts are expected at this time.”

The evacuations should begin immediately, and residents will have until 6 p.m. to leave the area. After 6 p.m., utility services will not be guaranteed, the department said, and access to the Tyrone and Gilbert’s Creek areas will be limited.

Major flooding continues in Monterey

In Owen County, much of the downtown community of Monterey is underwater, according to emergency manager, Tim Cammack.

For homes that don’t have water inside of them, water is surrounding them, making the homes isolated. Some homes are vacant, Cammack said.

Monterey is bordered by the Kentucky River on one side and by Cedar Creek on the other. Cammack said flash flooding came down the creek and backwater has spilled from the Kentucky Riverbanks.

“We have had it coming from two directions,” Cammack said Sunday afternoon.

And the water is still rising, he said. Right now, their water levels are at about 51 feet with an expected crest on Tuesday at 57 feet.

Like many areas affected by flooding, this number is expected to exceed the flooding record set in 1937 which recorded 56.9 feet of water. This record will also surpass flooding from 1997, which recorded 53 feet, according to Cammack.

He confirmed at least 20 homes have been affected by flooding, and three families have had to be evacuated.

Monterey is approximately 45 miles northwest of Lexington.

People can help first responders and those affected by flooding by staying out of the area and not “sight-seeing” the floods, Cammack said.

“Every place we have flooding issues, sightseers are clogging up traffic, parking and access for first responders,” Cammack said. “It is a safety thing. We need to have space for them to get access, and we don’t want you to be the next victim we need to rescue.”

Early recovery efforts beginning in Nelson County

Early recovery efforts are beginning in Nelson County, according to emergency manager Brad Metcalf.

As of Sunday afternoon, much of the water is receding throughout the county except in areas of New Haven and Boston. New Haven received about 29 feet of water and crested earlier Sunday.

The community of Boston is still climbing with a water levels of about 53 feet on Sunday afternoon.

This is only two feet away from the 55 foot record which was set in the 1937 flood — which set most of the high water marks for the area.

Metcalf said he expects the river near Boston to crest within the next couple of hours. Both Boston and New Haven have direct access to the Rolling Fork River that feeds from Adair County and goes into the Ohio River.

Unlike other areas in the northern part of the state, utility services have largely stayed online with no disruption to electric or the clean water access.

Metcalf said numerous rescues and evacuations have been conducted in many areas in the county.

”We’ve been spread out all over,” he said.

He said about 20 families have been displaced as a result of the floods, and the county is requesting donations of cleaning supplies, such as bleach, gloves and dish soap.

”Anything that homeowners can use to get in livable shape,” Metcalf said.

Donations can be made by contacting the county judge’s office at 502-348-1800 or emailing judge@nelsoncountyky.gov.

Monetary donations can be made through the Bardstown Baptist Church with “2025 Floods” in the memo.

Evacuations encouraged along the river in Woodford County

Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay said evacuations and rescues are continuing throughout the day on Sunday.

“If you’re near the river and you have any proximity to water, you need to leave,” Kay said in a video posted to Facebook.

Predictions for the Kentucky River show that it could crest at record-setting levels in the next day.

“We are praying beyond prayers that this is not what we are going to see, but we have to do what we have to do, but that means that folks have to evacuate,” Kay said. “They have to leave and we have to make sure that everyone is safe.”

Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler encouraged people to evacuate on Sunday, before the temperatures drop overnight and rescues become difficult after sundown.

Temporary housing is available at the Woodford County Senior Center, 185 Beasley Road in the Woodford County Park, through the Red Cross, Chandler said.

Frankfort residents asked to conserve water

The Frankfort Plant Board, the utilities company in Frankfort, asked residents to conserve water on Sunday.

“FPB has turned pumps off and are asking all customers to ration their water usage and limit to only essential usage,” the city said in a social media post.

The flood wall is designed to withstand 51 feet of water, the city said. With the river projected to crest at 49.5 feet, several areas of the city may see additional flooding.

Gov. Andy Beshear, who lives in Frankfort, urged residents to use caution and conserve water.

“The rivers haven’t crested in many areas of the state, and so there are a day, if not several days left, on this event,” Beshear said in a video posted to social media.

Access to Butler cut off by water

Butler, which was placed under a voluntary emergency evacuation order on Saturday afternoon, was no longer accessible due to flood water on Sunday.

“I would like to say that we’re close to the end however, we aren’t,” Butler Mayor Mason Taylor wrote on Facebook. “The next 24 hours are going to be the most crucial.”

Butler, in Pendleton County, has around 650 residents. The National Weather Service was predicting that the Licking River in Butler could rise to nearly 45 feet in the coming hours.

Butler is about 70 miles north of Lexington along Interstate 75.

Evacuations in Frankfort, access to Falmouth closed

Following days of heavy rainfall, much of Kentucky is now dealing with massive amounts of flooding. Parts of the state remain under a flood warning until noon on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

As of Saturday night, parts of Kentucky had received more than 13 inches of rain since Wednesday, with the highest rain totals in Western Kentucky, according to the Kentucky Mesonet network. Central Kentucky has received between 4 and 6 inches.

In Frankfort, the Kentucky River is projected to crest at 49.5 feet on Monday, according to the National Weather Service, one foot higher than the all-time record set in 1978. NWS considers 40 feet or higher a “major flood” in Frankfort.

Residents in parts of Frankfort were evacuating on Sunday morning, Gov. Andy Beshear said on social media, and all state offices in the Frankfort area will be closed Monday.

In Northern Kentucky, access in and out of Falmouth has been limited to only city residents, according to Pendleton County Emergency Management. Emergency units have been placed at side streets along US 27, blocking access to Falmouth.

Parts of Falmouth also had gas turned off, and the Highway 177 bridge has been shut down until the water recedes.

In Louisville, where one of two confirmed tornadoes touched down in the early hours of Thursday morning, the Ohio River has continued to rise. Mayor Craig Greenberg said the river is expected to rise to “one of the top 10 flooding events in our recorded history.”

The city canceled Thunder Over Louisville, the fireworks show that marks the start of the Derby season scheduled for April 12, in anticipation of ongoing issues related to the flooding.

Truss bridge closes in Pendleton County

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has temporarily closed the KY 177 truss bridge over the Licking River in the Butler in Pendleton County.

State officials said this morning crews have closed the bridge on KY 177 between River Road (4.81 mile point) and Mill Street (5.01 mile point), a distance of 0.2 miles. Rising waters and flooding in the area triggered the move.

Kentucky State Police assisted with evacuations in coordination with local emergency management.

There is no estimated timeline for the reopening of the bridge. State transportation officials will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates as they become available.

Now comes the cold

The National Weather Service projected that Sunday will be the final day of showers across the state before the rain stops.

But the weather service expects colder weather to follow, with freezing temperatures Monday night and Tuesday night. Some areas are expected to see temperatures as low as 20 degrees, according to meteorologists.

Monday night, Central Kentucky and much of the commonwealth are expected to see a temperature drop anywhere between 25 to 30 degrees from the weekend temperatures.

Beshear urges caution on the roads

The marathon storms have caused hundreds of roads to be closed throughout the commonwealth due to mudslides, high water and rock slides.

Around 8 a.m. on Sunday, Gov. Andy Beshear reported 539 road closures throughout the state — an increase from the 390 reported road closures on Saturday.

“We are going through a major natural disaster with flooding all over the state,” Beshear said in a video on X. “We have hundreds of roads that are closed for good reason. Do not drive through floodwaters, that is how we lose people.”

The death toll from the multi-day rains and storms includes a 74-old Nelson County woman who was found dead in a submerged car on Saturday morning, according to local officials.

A 9-year-old Frankfort boy died Friday morning after being pulled into floodwaters while he was walking to his bus stop.

Flood hitting downtown Frankfort

All eyes Sunday are on the Kentucky River, which continues to rise to historic levels.

The Kentucky River is projected to crest at 49.5 feet at 8 a.m. Monday. The projected crest level has increased twice in the past 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service. That would mark the highest level on record, surpassing the record crest of 48.47 feet from December 10, 1978.

On Sunday, sandbags were piled up in parts of downtown Frankfort. Roads were closed and flashing warning signs could be seen on city streets.

Around 10 p.m. Saturday evening, the river was predicted crest at 47 feet on Monday, which was an increase from the previous prediction of 45 feet issued earlier Saturday. On Saturday morning, the service issued an advisory extending a flood warning for the Kentucky River at Frankfort until further notice.

This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 11:20 AM.