Here are the top five floods that have hit Kentucky over the years

At least 37 people have died following a catastrophic flood that inundated Eastern Kentucky late this week.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Saturday update that crews have rescued over 400 people so far and continue to search for an unknown number of others. Knott County had the highest death toll at 14, per the local coroner, with four young siblings among the dead, The Courier Journal previously reported.

"It's going to get a lot higher," Beshear said Friday of additional deaths. "There's going to be multiple families that we've lost. Kids that won't get the opportunity to grow up and experience so much that we have."

At least 13 counties have been impacted by the historic flooding, which is one of the worst in Kentucky's history. Using data from the National Weather Service, here is a list of the top five floods that have taken place across the Bluegrass State in the past 85 years:

5. May 1, 2010: Torrential Rainfall

A strengthening low-pressure system brought ample amounts of Gulf moisture north, resulting in historic rainfall across the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Although flooding was worse in Tennessee, parts of southern Kentucky saw 8 to 10 inches of rain and Bowling Green, Marrowbone, Bradfordsville, Richmond and Albany all set records for heavy rain over the course of two days, according to the National Weather Service. Almost all streams and rivers in southern Indiana and central Kentucky experienced some sort of flooding, and the Green River at Rochester stayed above flood state for two weeks following the historic rain. There were five fatalities in central Kentucky and the overall damage sustained exceeded more than $30 million.

Eastern Kentucky flooding:'People need to know.' Clean-up begins in Eastern Kentucky after historic flooding

4. The Great Winter Flood: December 1978

A massive winter flood that struck Frankfort in December 1978 was the worst the state capitol had seen. According to the National Weather Service, the Kentucky River crested at a record 48.74 feet - a full foot over the crest of the Great Flood of 1937. More than half of downtown Frankfort was flooded, forcing around 1,000 people to flee their homes. In addition to the Kentucky River, The Salt River in Shepherdsville, South Fork Licking River in Cynthiana, Rolling Fork in Boston, and Green River in Munfordville all had record flooding. Five people were killed and damages exceeded $50 million.

3. The Flood of March 1997

Historic amounts of rain fell on central Kentucky and southern in March 1997. As thunderstorms and large areas of heavy rain moved over the areas, copious rainfall were recorded. According to the National Weather Service, "the deluge resulted in record flooding along smaller streams and some of the worst flooding along the Ohio River since at least 1964, and in some places since the Great Flood of 1937."

The Ohio River crested at 70.5 feet at the McAlpine Lock, 15 feet above flood stage.

Barge traffic was halted on the Ohio River when the locks flooded and in the Louisville metro area, about $200 million in damage was attributed to the flooding, with 50,000 dwellings affected.

"Interstates 64 and 65 were closed. Ninety-two counties in Kentucky and 14 counties in southern Indiana were declared disaster areas. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, with total damage across the region around $400 million," according to the National Weather Service flooding site. Nineteen people died. Of those, nine died trying to cross flooded roadways.

Weekend updates from Eastern Kentucky:Death toll rises past 20 amid flood recovery efforts

2. The Ohio River Flood: March 1945

March 1945 saw the Ohio River reach a peak state of 74.4, about 11 feet lower than the 1937 flood that ravaged the city of Louisville just eight years earlier. It ties with the river stage set by the historic flood of 1884, according to the National Weather Service. On March 5, the Ohio River flowed over a man-made dike and caused almost 50,000 Louisville-area residents to evacuate. Total flood damage is estimated to be around $2.6 million, according to the National Weather Service.

The majority of the heavy rain that cause the flood fell during a three-week period leading up to March. Rainfall between Feb. 20 and March 8 of that year is the second wettest period on record in Louisville, according to the National Weather Service.

1. The Great Flood of 1937

According to the National Weather Service, "The Ohio River Great Flood of January 1937 surpassed all prior floods during the previous 175 years of modern occupancy of the Ohio River Valley." Louisville received 15 inches of rain in 12 days from Jan 13-24 and a total of 19 inches of rain fell that month.

Nearly 70% of Louisville was submerged, forcing 175,000 residents to flee the area and about 90% of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was flooded with 13,000 residents forced to flee.

More:Eastern Kentucky flooding ravages Breathitt County, conjures memories of previous disasters

Damage estimates in 1937 dollars are around $250 million, which is more than $3.3 billion in today's dollars, according to the National Weather Service.

In Louisville, the record crest of the 1937 flood on the Ohio River was 85.4 feet at McAlpine Lock, according to data from the National Weather Service. The flood stage is 55 feet.

Editor's note: A previously published version of this story misstated the severity of the Ohio River flood of 1945 compared with the Great Flood of 1937.

Reach Culture & Diversity reporter Jason Gonzalez at jgonzalez@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The top five floods that have hit Kentucky over the years