Cape Fear River level at Fayetteville
North Carolina · Flood watch
Measured at USGS 02104000 — CAPE FEAR RIVER AT FAYETTEVILLE, NC · NWS forecast point FAYN7
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Normal for the date
At 9.85 ft, this gauge is running 94% of normal for mid-September — close to the 10 ft median USGS has recorded for this date across 47 years of record (1974–2026).
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Flood stages at Fayetteville
National Weather Service categories for gauge FAYN7, WFO RAH. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
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Major flood 58.0 ft
- 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.
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Moderate flood 48.0 ft
- 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.
-
Minor flood 35.0 ft
- 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.
-
Action 35.0 ft
- 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.
- Right now 9.85 ft
NWS forecast: 10.30 ft by .
Flow history at Fayetteville
Daily values from USGS 02104000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for FAYN7 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Fayetteville
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 68.90 ft | 124,000 CFS | Sep 21, 1945 |
| 68.00 ft | 115,000 CFS | Aug 29, 1908 |
| 65.30 ft | 110,000 CFS | Oct 4, 1929 |
| 64.70 ft | 108,000 CFS | Sep 22, 1928 |
| 61.58 ft | 94,143 CFS | Sep 19, 2018 |
| 58.94 ft | 90,000 CFS | Oct 10, 2016 |
| 58.50 ft | 86,000 CFS | May 24, 1901 |
| 58.00 ft | 84,000 CFS | Jan 12, 1895 |
| 55.50 ft | 76,000 CFS | Sep 8, 1928 |
| 55.40 ft | 75,000 CFS | Apr 8, 1936 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Cape Fear River at Fayetteville
The reference gauge for this reach in North Carolina — what local emergency managers and the National Weather Service watch when the river comes up. Matthew and Florence; repeat catastrophic hurricane flooding.
Cape Fear River at Fayetteville — common questions
3 questions
What is flood stage at Fayetteville?
The National Weather Service sets minor flood stage at this gauge at 35.0 ft, moderate at 48.0 ft, and major at 58.0 ft. Action stage — the level at which agencies begin preparing — is 35.0 ft. The ladder on this page shows each threshold against the current reading, with the NWS's own impact statements at each level.
Is Cape Fear River at Fayetteville high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median gage height for mid-September here is 10 ft, from 47 years of record (1974–2026). Today is 94% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 02104000 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for FAYN7 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.