Cape Fear River at Lillington, NC
River level and flood forecast · Harnett County
The river is 11.7 ft below flood stage (14 ft).
Forecast to rise to 3.0 ft Thu 2 PM, below the 14 ft flood stage.
Flow: 513 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:33 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 27 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 19 ft |
| Flood stage | 14 ft |
| Action stage | 13 ft |
| Record crest (September 19, 1945) | 33.19 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 34 ftWater reaches the road surface of the northbound 421 bridge.
- 30 ftWater reaches the base of the northbound Highway 421 bridge.
- 27 ftMajor flooding begins. Flooding reaches Mermaid Point Restaurant on the south bank.
- 19 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.
- 17 ftWater threatens homes upstream on Riverside Hills Drive.
- 14 ftMinor flooding begins. The boat launch ramp and wooden deck at Mermaid Point Restaurant are flooded.
- 13 ftAction stage. The Cape Fear River reaches bankfull.
Highest crests on record
- 33.19 ft — September 19, 1945
- 27.55 ft — October 2, 1929
- 21.27 ft — September 18, 2018
- 19.41 ft — October 9, 2016
- 18.97 ft — September 7, 1996
Recent crests: 15.85 ft (August 9, 2024) · 13.61 ft (February 9, 2020) · 15.56 ft (November 16, 2018) · 17.98 ft (November 14, 2018) · 10.01 ft (October 12, 2018)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamHaw River near Moncure, NC
- DownstreamCape Fear River at Fayetteville, NC
- Buckhorn Creek (NC) near Corinth, NC
- Middle Creek near Clayton, NC
- Little River at Manchester, NC
- Tank Creek at Reilly Rd at Ft Bragg, NC
- Tank Creek at Butner Rd at Ft Bragg, NC
- Swift Creek above McCuller's Crossroads, NC
- Swift Creek at SR1555 Nr Clayton, NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (LLLN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.