Rivers in North Carolina

Cape Fear River at Lillington

Harnett County, North CarolinaNWS LLLN7USGS 02102500Raleigh office

Below flood stage
2.51ftStage

Observed Wed, Sep 23, 4:28 PM EDT

Flood stage
14.00 ft
Forecast crest
2.60 ftWed, Sep 23, 8:00 PM EDT
Record crest
33.19 ft1945

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood27.00 ft
Moderate flood19.00 ft
Minor flood14.00 ft
Action13.00 ft
  1. 34.00 ftWater reaches the road surface of the northbound 421 bridge.
  2. 30.00 ftWater reaches the base of the northbound Highway 421 bridge.
  3. 27.00 ftMajor flooding begins. Flooding reaches Mermaid Point Restaurant on the south bank.
  4. 19.00 ftModerate 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.
  5. 17.00 ftWater threatens homes upstream on Riverside Hills Drive.
  6. 14.00 ftMinor flooding begins. The boat launch ramp and wooden deck at Mermaid Point Restaurant are flooded.
  7. 13.00 ftAction stage. The Cape Fear River reaches bankfull.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor floodingUnder 5%
Moderate floodingUnder 5%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

13 crests on NOAA’s list since 1929.

#DateStage
1September 19, 194533.19 ft
2October 2, 192927.55 ft
3September 18, 201821.27 ft
4October 9, 201619.41 ft
5September 7, 199618.97 ft
6November 14, 201817.98 ft
7August 9, 202415.85 ft
8March 1, 198715.59 ft
9November 16, 201815.56 ft
10June 14, 200614.60 ft
11July 24, 199714.26 ft
12February 9, 202013.61 ft
13October 12, 201810.01 ft

Most recent crests

  • August 9, 2024: 15.85 ft
  • February 9, 2020: 13.61 ft
  • November 16, 2018: 15.56 ft
  • November 14, 2018: 17.98 ft
  • October 12, 2018: 10.01 ft
  • September 18, 2018: 21.27 ft
  • October 9, 2016: 19.41 ft
  • June 14, 2006: 14.60 ft
  • July 24, 1997: 14.26 ft
  • September 7, 1996: 18.97 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.