South Fork Licking River at Hayes water level

Name: South Fork Licking River at Hayes water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, South Fork Licking River, Kentucky, United States

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

3.26ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 AM EDT (42 min ago)

Flow: 127 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at South Fork Licking River at Hayes, where the gauge shows 3.26 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.08 ft – 3.33 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 22.03 ftMay 20, 2020

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	22.03 ft	May 20, 2020
2	20.70 ft	September 25, 2018

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.82 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 57° 45° – Wind 15 mph

18 Sun 67° 38° – Wind 10 mph

19 Mon 71° 40° – Wind 4 mph

20 Tue 71° 43° – Wind 6 mph

21 Wed 71° 44° – Wind 5 mph

22 Thu 71° 44° – Wind 5 mph

23 Fri 72° 44° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:52 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 11 hr, 1 min First quarter 66%

Map

Other gauges on the South Fork Licking River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
South Fork Licking River at Kirkersville OHRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	12.4 cfs	High	−2.2 cfs	130 mi
South Fork Licking River near Buckeye Lake OHRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	871.61 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	133 mi
South Fork Licking River near Hebron OHRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	2.22 ft	Below flood stage	±0	136 mi
South Fork Licking River at Heath OHRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	5.06 ft	Below flood stage	±0	141 mi
South Fork Licking River at CynthianaRiver gauge, South Fork Licking River	5.04 ft	Below flood stage	−0.08 ft	19 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Licking River at CatawbaRiver gauge, Licking River	504 cfs	Normal	−236.0 cfs	4.2 mi
Licking River at McKinneysburgRiver gauge, Licking River	4.98 ft	Below flood stage	−0.55 ft	6.1 mi
North Fork Licking River near Mount OlivetRiver gauge, North Fork Licking River	1.55 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	18 mi
Licking River at Highway 536 near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Licking River	639 cfs	Normal	+494 cfs	19 mi
Twelvemile Creek at Highway 1997 near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Twelvemile Creek	1.63 ft	Below flood stage	±0	20 mi
Eagle Creek at SadievilleRiver gauge, Eagle Creek	0.2 cfs	Normal	±0	21 mi
Fourmile Creek at Poplar Ridge Road near AlexandriaRiver gauge, Fourmile Creek	0.5 cfs	Normal	−0.2 cfs	23 mi
Mud Lick Creek at Highway 42 near BeaverlickRiver gauge, Mud Lick Creek	1.26 ft	Normal	−0.03 ft	24 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of South Fork Licking River at Hayes today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 02:15 AM EDT, the water level was 3.26 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is South Fork Licking River at Hayes rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of South Fork Licking River at Hayes normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at South Fork Licking River at Hayes?

The highest level on record is 22.03 ft on May 20, 2020.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:03253000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 38.65868, -84.35188 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.26 ft	2026-10-20 06:15	Provisional
Flow	127 cfs	2026-10-20 06:15	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: South Fork Licking River at Hayes (usgs:03253000). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/kentucky/south-fork-licking-river-at-hayes

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer