1907 Flood, Louisville, Kentucky

1907 Flood, Louisville, Kentucky.
From the Newton Owen Postcard Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


1913 Ohio River Flood

1913 Ohio River Flood.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


1924 Flood, Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky, 1924

1924 Flood, Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky, 1924.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Photographic Archives


Fourth Street during 1937 flood

Fourth Street during 1937 flood, looking south toward the Brown Hotel from the middle of the 600 block.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Flooding at Fourth Street and Gaulbert Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937

Flooding at Fourth Street and Gaulbert Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937. Three men are atop a makeshift raft made from barrels and wooden planks in flood waters at 4th St. and Gaulbert Ave.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Flooding at Broadway and Fourth Streets, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937

Flooding at Broadway and Fourth Streets, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Flood scene aerial view, 1937

Flood scene aerial view, 1937.
From the Caufield & Shook Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Rescue by boat, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937

Rescue by boat, Louisville, Kentucky, 1937. Mrs. Helen Fischer, another woman, and a dog are rescued by two men with a boat Louisville, Kentucky during the 1937 Flood of the Ohio River.
From the R. G. Potter Collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Frozen water at Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, 1936

Frozen water at Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky, 1936. Two levels of the Falls are frozen.
From the Herald-Post collection, University of Louisville Archives & Special Collections.


Louisville

Section 5. Nature and Weather

The Ohio River is a source of life for Louisville, but its floodwaters have repeatedly brought devastation to the Ohio Valley. Most notable was the Great Flood of 1937, which caused death and destruction all along the Ohio, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cairo, Illinois, but hit Louisville hardest. The United States United Weather Service reports that this flood surpassed all previously recorded Ohio River floods. The river crested at 40 feet (about 12 metres) above its normal level on January 27, covering at least 60% of the city, and requiring the evacuation of 70% of its residents. Louisville enjoys a relatively warm climate; the river rarely freezes, and the flooding in 1937 was the result of rainfall, rather than melting ice. A system of floodwalls were constructed as a result, and now offer substantial protection.

City & Water

International virtual exhibition of documents of twin-cities Perm, Louisville & Oxford.

Authors: