Cape Fear River at Fayetteville
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 35.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 35.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 48.0 ft; major flooding begins at 58.0 ft.
| Action stage | 35.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 35.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 48.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 58.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 68.9 ft on Sep 21, 1945 (historic crest)
- 68.0 ft on Aug 29, 1908 (historic crest)
- 65.3 ft on Oct 4, 1929 (historic crest)
- 64.7 ft on Sep 22, 1928 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 32.0 ft | Action Stage. Banks of the Cape Fear River begin to overflow. |
|---|---|
| 35.0 ft | Minor flooding begins. The boat ramp and lower parking lot at Riverside Bait and Tackle off Person Street are flooded. The stage and lower seating area at the Cape Fear Amphitheater are flooded. |
| 48.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins. The upper parking areas at Riverside Bait and Tackle are flooded. There is significant lowland flooding downstream. |
| 50.0 ft | There is significant overflow on the left bank about 2 miles downstream of the NC24 bridge. |
| 58.0 ft | Major flooding begins. The right bank widens to several hundred feet and there is significant flooding of downstream structures. |
| 59.0 ft | The river will reach the bottom of the railroad bridge just downstream of the Person Street bridge. Debris will get stuck against the railroad bridge. |
| 60.0 ft | Water begins to bypass the left end of the NC-24 bridge for several hundred yards. Two miles downstream, the left bank widens to 1000 feet and to a depth of several feet. Cumberland Tractor lot begins to flood. |
| 64.0 ft | Several thousand acres of land and hundreds of structures on both sides of the river will be flooded. Water reaches the under-clearance of the downstream railroad trestle. Downstream about 2 miles, the river will spread to a width of approximately 1 mile. |
| 69.0 ft | The city of Fayetteville begins to flood and up to 150 homes would be threatened. At this stage the river widens to a mile or more in some places. |
| 72.0 ft | The river will spread to a width of up to 2 miles, with several thousand structures threatened. |
Forecast office: NWS Raleigh · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
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Nearby stations and gauges
- Cross Creek NC at Hillsboro St NWS gauge · 1.7 mi
- Blounts Creek at Winslow St at Fayetteville NWS gauge · 1.8 mi
- Cross Creek NC at Blue Street at Fayetteville NWS gauge · 2.2 mi
- Cross Creek at Langdon St NWS gauge · 2.8 mi
- Rockfish Creek at Research Dr near Fayetteville NWS gauge · 6.4 mi
- Beaver Creek (NC) at Morganton Rd NWS gauge · 7.0 mi