Cape Fear River at Fayetteville water level

Name: Cape Fear River at Fayetteville water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Cape Fear River, North Carolina, United States

Directions

Low for late October

Water level

9.71ft Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM EDT (24 min ago)

Flow: 586 cfs

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %) Forecast Minor flood stage

The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.30 ft by Saturday, October 24 at 08:00 PM. Issued Tuesday, October 20 at 10:40 AM by NOAA National Weather Service.

What this means

The Cape Fear River at Fayetteville is running below normal at 9.71 ft.

The median for late October is 10.20 ft, based on 47 years of readings, so the river stage is 0.49 ft below typical. It is 25.29 ft below the flood stage of 35.00 ft. On the same day last year the reading was 9.73 ft, a difference of −0.02 ft.

It has dropped 0.05 ft over the past 24 hours. The forecast expects the river to fall to 9.30 ft by Saturday, October 24 at 08:00 PM. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 9.49 ft and 10.06 ft.

Compared with 47 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 10.20 ft0.49 ft below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 9.64 ft – 20.04 ft8 years in 10 fall in this range (47 years of records)
Same day last year: 9.73 ft−0.02 ft
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 9.49 ft – 10.06 ft
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 9.11 ft – 14.67 ft
Highest on record: 65.30 ftOctober 4, 1929
Forecast peak: 9.70 ftWednesday, October 21 at 02:00 AM

Floating and fishing near Cape Fear River at Fayetteville

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Flood stage here is 35.00 ft, 25.29 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

What happens at each level

72.00 ft: The river will spread to a width of up to 2 miles, with several thousand structures threatened.
69.00 ft: The city of Fayetteville begins to flood and up to 150 homes would be threatened. At this stage the river widens to a mile or more in some places.
64.00 ft: Several thousand acres of land and hundreds of structures on both sides of the river will be flooded. Water reaches the under-clearance of the downstream railroad trestle. Downstream about 2 miles, the river will spread to a width of approximately 1 mile.
60.00 ft: Water begins to bypass the left end of the NC-24 bridge for several hundred yards. Two miles downstream, the left bank widens to 1000 feet and to a depth of several feet. Cumberland Tractor lot begins to flood.
59.00 ft: The river will reach the bottom of the railroad bridge just downstream of the Person Street bridge. Debris will get stuck against the railroad bridge.
58.00 ft: Major flooding begins. The right bank widens to several hundred feet and there is significant flooding of downstream structures.
50.00 ft: There is significant overflow on the left bank about 2 miles downstream of the NC24 bridge.
48.00 ft: Moderate flooding begins. The upper parking areas at Riverside Bait and Tackle are flooded. There is significant lowland flooding downstream.
35.00 ft: Minor flooding begins. The boat ramp and lower parking lot at Riverside Bait and Tackle off Person Street are flooded. The stage and lower seating area at the Cape Fear Amphitheater are flooded.
32.00 ft: Action Stage. Banks of the Cape Fear River begin to overflow.
9.71 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	65.30 ft	October 4, 1929
2	64.70 ft	September 22, 1928
3	61.58 ft	September 19, 2018
4	58.94 ft	October 10, 2016
5	58.50 ft	May 24, 1901
6	58.00 ft	January 12, 1895
7	55.50 ft	September 8, 1928
8	55.40 ft	April 8, 1936
9	52.30 ft	March 1, 1888
10	52.00 ft	July 24, 1919

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.37 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

20 Tue 75° 44° – Wind 13 mph

21 Wed 71° 46° – Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 73° 43° – Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 71° 48° – Wind 12 mph

24 Sat 70° 48° – Wind 13 mph

25 Sun 73° 47° – Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 75° 49° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:27 AM Sunset 06:34 PM Daylight 11 hr, 7 min Waxing gibbous 75%

Map

Other gauges on the Cape Fear River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cape Fear River at LillingtonRiver gauge, Cape Fear River	2.06 ft	Normal	−0.06 ft	25 mi
Cape Fear River at Wilm O Huske Lock near TarheelRiver gauge, Cape Fear River	1.27 ft	Low	−0.03 ft	15 mi
Cape Fear River at Lock 1 near KellyRiver gauge, Cape Fear River	14.81 ft	Low	+0.01 ft	55 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Blounts Creek at Winslow Street at FayettevilleRiver gauge, Blounts Creek	3.58 ft	Very low	−0.03 ft	1.9 mi
Cross Creek at Blue Street at FayettevilleRiver gauge, Cross Creek	3.83 ft	Low	−0.07 ft	2.2 mi
Beaver Creek at CumberlandRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	8 mi
Beaver Creek at All American Freeway Fort BraggRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	2.60 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	8 mi
Beaver Creek at Gruber Road at Fort BraggRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	6.85 ft	Normal	+0.01 ft	9 mi
Tank Creek at Longstreet Road at Fort BraggRiver gauge, Tank Creek	1.46 ft	Low	±0	11 mi
Tank Creek at Butner Road at Fort BraggRiver gauge, Tank Creek	0.59 ft	Low	−0.02 ft	11 mi
Tank Creek at Reilly Road at Fort BraggRiver gauge, Tank Creek	2.70 ft	Very low	−0.02 ft	12 mi

Questions and answers

Is the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville higher than last year?

No, it is 0.02 ft lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 9.73 ft.

What is flood stage for the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville?

The official flood stage is 35.00 ft. The level is currently 25.29 ft below it.

What is a normal level for the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville in late October?

The median for late October is 10.20 ft. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 9.64 ft and 20.04 ft, based on 47 years of records.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Cape Fear River at Fayetteville today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 03:00 AM EDT, the water level was 9.71 ft. Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Cape Fear River at Fayetteville rising or falling?

Down 0.05 ft over the last 24 hours. Down 0.16 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Cape Fear River at Fayetteville normal?

Low for late October. Compared with 47 years of daily readings for this time of year.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:02104000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 35.04972, -78.85639 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	9.71 ft	2026-10-21 07:00	Provisional
Flow	586 cfs	2026-10-21 07:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cape Fear River at Fayetteville (usgs:02104000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/north-carolina/cape-fear-river-at-fayetteville

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer