Neuse River near Clayton, NC
River level and flood forecast · Johnston County
Normal2.5 ftas of Mon 3:15 PM
The river is 6.5 ft below flood stage (9 ft).
Forecast to fall to 1.2 ft by Sat, Oct 17, 8 AM.
Flow: 840 cubic feet per second (USGS).
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 | 16 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 13 ft |
| Flood stage | 9 ft |
| Action stage | 8 ft |
| Record crest (September 19, 1945) | 22.12 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 26 ftThe grounds of the pumping station begin to flood.
- 22 ftFlooding reaches the lower concrete span of the bridge on Covered Bridge Road.
- 18 ftCastleberry Road off NC-42 is flooded and flood waters approach the entrance to East Clayton Elementary School.
- 16 ftMajor flooding begins.
- 13 ftFlooding will close the Neuse River Greenway trail.
- 10 ftUpstream of the gage site, the Neuse River Greenway at Covered Bridge Road begins to flood.
- 9 ftMinor flooding begins. Minor overflow occurs on both banks. Water reaches the edge of the Neuse River Greenway trail.
Highest crests on record
- 22.12 ft — September 19, 1945
- 21.62 ft — October 3, 1929
- 21.15 ft — July 23, 1919
- 20.67 ft — September 17, 1999
- 20.48 ft — October 9, 2016
Recent crests: 9.92 ft (March 17, 2025) · 10.82 ft (September 25, 2024) · 9.62 ft (September 18, 2024) · 9.69 ft (September 2, 2024) · 13.1 ft (August 9, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamNeuse River Below Falls Dam, NC
- DownstreamNeuse River at Smithfield, NC
- Swift Creek at SR1555 Nr Clayton, NC
- Middle Creek near Clayton, NC
- Little River (NC) near Zebulon, NC
- Walnut Creek at Sunnybrook Dr in Raleigh, NC
- Walnut Creek at Rose Ln in Raleigh, NC
- Walnut Creek (NC) at S. State St., NC
- Walnut Creek at S. Wilmington St., NC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (CLYN7); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.