Confluence, Kentucky
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1979. It stands in the Hyden census division. It lies in ZIP code area 41749. It stands on Wilder Branch. The Survey maps it on the Buckhorn quadrangle. It stands 892 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1891 USGS Hazard quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1913 USGS Buckhorn quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Buckhorn quadrangle1:24000
- 1957 USGS Jenkins quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Jenkins quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Buckhorn quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1977 USGS Hazard quadrangle1:100000
- 1979 USGS Buckhorn quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
273 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 273 fires within 5 miles of Confluence between 1992 and 2020, burning about 9,340 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 51 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 120 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 82 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 51 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 14 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 30 acres | Daniel Boone National Forest | ELKHORN FUMBLE |
| 30 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 29 September 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 25 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 24 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 23 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 23 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 14 September 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | PARGAS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
11 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Confluence in 11 storm reports between 1999 and 2021: 5 flood, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2019 | Flood | Confluence | $70,000 | Local media reported flooding in the Confluence community, resulting from heavy rain and water backup from Buckhorn Lake's dam. Several homes were surrounded by flood waters, while Kentucky Highway 257 and other nearby roads were inundated for more than 2 weeks following the end of the heavier rainfall and more widespread flooding issues. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Confluence | $50,000 | Local Emergency Management and media reported typical persistent high water in the town of Confluence due to high water levels as a result of water being held back by Buckhorn Lake. Impacts were seen to nearby homes as well as along Kentucky Highway 257. |
| May 2020 | Flash Flood | Confluence | $40,000 | Dispatch reported water flowing over Wilder Branch Road in Confluence, forcing the closure of the road for a period of time. This swiftly flowing water forced chunks of the roadway to break apart, while water impacted approximately 25 to 30 homes. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Confluence | $25,000 | Local media, dispatch, and Emergency Management continued to report flooding issues in Confluence. Water inundation began back on February 21 as continued rounds of rainfall fell on saturated soils. Additionally, Buckhorn Lake rising to near record pool stage contributed to high water and flooding in Confluence as water was slowly discharged from Buckhorn Lake. Several homes and roads, including Kentucky Highway 257, were some of the entities that experienced inundation. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Confluence | $2,000 | Strong winds brought down several trees that knocked down power lines and blocked Highway 257. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Confluence | $100 | The highway department reported that strong thunderstorm wind gusts had knocked down a tree down across KY-257 in Confluence. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Confluence | - | Trees were blown down on Hwy 257. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Confluence | - | A tree was blown down and across Bills Branch Road. |
| February 2011 | Flood | Confluence | - | Streams and creeks around the area were at or approaching bankful. A few low water crossings had water over the road. |
| May 2010 | Flood | Confluence | - | High water from flooding of low lying areas along the middle fork of the Kentucky River in the Confluence area had reached a roadway. Local law enforcement also reported that a vehicle had driven into the water and stalled. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Confluence | - | Flowing water washed out a road. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grassy (historical) | 2.2 miles | 14 | |
| Kaliopi | 3.0 miles | 15 | |
| Dryhill | 3.3 miles | 15 | |
| Lower McIntosh (historical) | 5.1 miles | 14 | |
| Thousandsticks | 6.3 miles | 15 | |
| Sizerock | 7.0 miles | 15 | |
| Toulouse | 7.1 miles | 14 | |
| Hyden | 7.5 miles | 14 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Confluence | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q14690248 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 511495. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







