Is the Tug Fork Up? Williamson Gauge, Canada KY

The live height at the Weather Service's gauge at Williamson, five miles away — and what the river closes on the way to the hospital and the shops.

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Tug Fork River at Williamson

Below flood stage

The river is below flood stage right now. Reading from October 19 at 5:00 AM.

3.6 ft

Current stage

height of the river at the gauge

Falling

Trend (past day)

latest reading vs. about a day earlier

6.4 ft

7-day high

highest stage in the past week

0.487 kcfs

Flow

thousands of cubic feet per second

Level

Stage

Major flooding

43 ft

Moderate flooding

32 ft

Minor flooding

27 ft

Action stage

25 ft

The town’s flood defences

Williamson has a floodwall, built by the Army Corps of Engineers after the April 1977 flood put the town under water, and South Williamson has one on the Kentucky side. The Weather Service's own notes for this gauge say the wall protects downtown Williamson up to 63 feet, and that major flooding happens outside the walls: in February 2025 the river crested at 48.35 feet, Fairview and East Williamson went under, and the downtown stayed dry. Big Creek has no wall and is never going to have one. The water that floods this hollow comes off the hillsides in an hour, not up the river over a day.

The gates close at published heights, which is unusual and worth knowing: the Weather Service lists the South Williamson gate on KY 292 closing at 38 feet, the Harvey Street and water-plant gates between 40 and 42 feet, and the Armory Road gates and the 2nd Avenue bridge at 43. They are in its list above, with the rest.

Worth knowing

Getting to the hospital when the river is up

Tug Valley ARH, the nearest emergency department, is at South Williamson on the Kentucky bank. The Weather Service expects roads outside the walls to be flooded and closed from about 37 feet, and the KY 292 gate shut at 38. So on a day the Tug is in that range, a plan that assumes one particular way in needs a second one — and if it is an emergency, ring 911 rather than working it out from this page. The ambulance crews know what is open.

Two Weather Service offices, two different kinds of water

The flash-flood warnings for this valley are issued by the National Weather Service at Jackson, Kentucky, for forecast zone KYZ120. The river forecast on this page is made by the Ohio River Forecast Center, and the gauge itself sits in the South Charleston, West Virginia, office's area. They answer different questions, so a calm river forecast is not a calm flash-flood outlook — and the flash flood is the one that has hurt Big Creek.

What the record looks like here

Of every crest the Weather Service lists for this gauge, the highest is 52.56 feet in April 1977 — the flood that got the floodwalls built. February 2025 came second at 48.35 feet, and May 1984 third at 44.94. Major flood stage is 42.7 feet, so the top of the record stands about ten feet above the line where the Weather Service expects homes outside the walls to flood.

What the levels mean

Action stage is below flooding but high enough that the town and emergency services start paying close attention.

Minor flooding means some low-lying roads and land near the river start to go under.

Moderate flooding reaches more roads, property and low ground.

Major flooding is extensive — the most serious category this gauge reports.

These words describe the river, not what you should do. Decisions about closing flood gates or leaving home come from the town and emergency services — follow them.

Who to contact

Pike County 911 & Emergency Management · Call (606) 432-0210 · More information

For an emergency, call 911. This is the number the county gives for emergency management and the one it gave out for reporting flood damage after August 2026. Pike County's alerts go out through Hyper-Reach — free, by text, voice or email, on 606-262-5602 — and that will reach you faster than any page.