Before it gets better it will get slightly worse. By Monday morning, the river gauge near downtown predicted the crest, or the highest point of a wave, of the Ohio River will be at 36.1 feet. Earlier Sunday, the National Weather Service said it would be 34.9 feet.
There is no rain in the forecast for several days.
The two feet increase in the Ohio River marks the ninth highest crest ever recorded at that location. The normal level is about 12 feet.
On Saturday, 2.9 inches of rain fell at Louisville International Airport, marking the wettest February 24 on record, according to National Weather Service Louisville Meteorologist Mike Crow.
During the devastating Louisville flood in 1997, the water was measured at 38.8 feet. Roughly 50,000 homes were flooded and $200 million in damage was reported in the Louisville area. Several people died.
Last week, the river had risen about 11 feet above flood stage, according to Crow. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin had called a State of Emergency on Friday because of the surge of rain.
Flood levels aren’t expected to shrink to a moderate level until at least the end of the week, according to Crow.
