Neuse River at Smithfield, NC
River level and flood forecast · Johnston County
Normal7.2 ftas of Mon 2:15 PM
The river is 7.8 ft below flood stage (15 ft).
Forecast to fall to 4.2 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:25 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 20 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 18 ft |
| Flood stage | 15 ft |
| Action stage | 14 ft |
| Record crest (October 10, 2016) | 29.09 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 40 ftWater reaches the railing of the US70 bridge.
- 36 ftThe US70 bridge is inundated.
- 30 ftHouses on the river side of Front Street flood.
- 28.5 ftThe water treatment plant will be flooded. Jaycee Park and North Front Street are flooded.
- 27.5 ftWater begins to flow over the dike at the water treatment plant. Flooding threatens the plant's main operations building.
- 23 ftHospital and Buffalo Roads are flooded.
- 20 ftMajor flooding begins. Flooding cuts off the water treatment plants access to the reservoir.
- 18 ftModerate flooding begins. The Smithfield town park and the Neuse Riverwalk at the US70 bridge are flooded.
- 15 ftMinor flooding begins. Flooding begins along the Neuse Riverwalk. Water nears the base of the holding tank at the water treatment plant.
- 14 ftAction Stage. The Neuse River begins to overflow on the left bank.
Highest crests on record
- 29.09 ft — October 10, 2016
- 27.4 ft — September 8, 1996
- 27.1 ft — August 1, 1908
- 26.8 ft — July 24, 1919
- 26.72 ft — September 18, 1999
Recent crests: 15.05 ft (July 25, 2026) · 17.48 ft (March 18, 2025) · 17.74 ft (September 26, 2024) · 15 ft (September 23, 2024) · 15 ft (September 23, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamNeuse River near Clayton, NC
- DownstreamNeuse River near Goldsboro, NC
- Swift Creek at SR1555 Nr Clayton, NC
- Little River near Princeton, NC
- Middle Creek near Clayton, NC
- Contentnea Creek near Lucama, NC
- Little River (NC) near Zebulon, NC
- Walnut Creek at Sunnybrook Dr in Raleigh, NC
- Walnut Creek at Rose Ln in Raleigh, NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (SMFN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.