Cape Fear River level at Lillington
North Carolina · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 02102500 — CAPE FEAR RIVER AT LILLINGTON, NC · NWS forecast point LLLN7
Reading taken · as of 48 min ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 590 CFS, this gauge is running 82% of normal for mid-September — below the 719 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 44 years of record (1982–2026).
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Flood stages at Lillington
National Weather Service categories for gauge LLLN7, WFO RAH. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Major flood 27.0 ft
- 27.0 ft Major flooding begins. Flooding reaches Mermaid Point Restaurant on the south bank.
- 30.0 ft Water reaches the base of the northbound Highway 421 bridge.
- 34.0 ft Water reaches the road surface of the northbound 421 bridge.
-
Moderate flood 19.0 ft
- 19.0 ft Moderate flooding begins. The storm drains on the north bank are inundated and water reaches the water treatment plant. Homes on Riverside Hills Drive are flooded.
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Minor flood 14.0 ft
- 14.0 ft Minor flooding begins. The boat launch ramp and wooden deck at Mermaid Point Restaurant are flooded.
- 17.0 ft Water threatens homes upstream on Riverside Hills Drive.
-
Action 13.0 ft
- 13.0 ft Action stage. The Cape Fear River reaches bankfull.
- Right now 2.41 ft
NWS forecast: 2.80 ft by .
Flow history at Lillington
Daily values from USGS 02102500, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for LLLN7 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Lillington
12 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 33.19 ft | 150,000 CFS | Sep 19, 1945 |
| 27.55 ft | 107,000 CFS | Oct 2, 1929 |
| 21.27 ft | 63,536 CFS | Sep 18, 2018 |
| 19.41 ft | 53,000 CFS | Oct 9, 2016 |
| 18.97 ft | 51,800 CFS | Sep 7, 1996 |
| 17.98 ft | 46,404 CFS | Nov 14, 2018 |
| 15.85 ft | 37,446 CFS | Aug 9, 2024 |
| 15.59 ft | 36,500 CFS | Mar 1, 1987 |
| 15.56 ft | 36,303 CFS | Nov 16, 2018 |
| 14.60 ft | 29,600 CFS | Jun 14, 2006 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Cape Fear River at Lillington
In North Carolina, below Jordan Lake. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Jordan Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Cape Fear River at Lillington — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Jordan Lake affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Cape Fear River at Lillington high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 719 CFS, from 44 years of record (1982–2026). Today is 82% 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 02102500 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for LLLN7 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.