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Cape Fear River at Fayetteville

Highest listed crest 65.30 ftFlood stage 35.0 ft26 crests since 1888

The Cape Fear River at Fayetteville crested at major flood stage 6 times among the 26 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1888 to 2024. The highest, 65.30 ft on October 4, 1929, was major flooding, 30.30 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Cape Fear River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
65.30 ft
October 4, 1929; 110,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
35.0 ft
Major flooding from 58.0 ft
Crests at major
6
19th of 314 gauges in North Carolina
Most recent flood crest
August 10, 2024
42.94 ft, minor flooding
Location
Cumberland County
Near Fayetteville (7.0 mi), Hope Mills (7.9 mi), Spring Lake (12.2 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Cape Fear River at Fayetteville
Action stage35.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)35.015Aug 10, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage48.04Apr 8, 1936Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage58.06Sep 19, 2018Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

26 crests from 1888 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cape Fear River at Fayetteville, 1888 to 2024 203040506070ft Flood stage 35.0 ftMajor 58.0 ft Mar 1, 1888: 52.30 ft, moderate flooding; 66,000 cubic feet per secondJan 12, 1895: 58.00 ft, major flooding; 84,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 1901: 58.50 ft, major flooding; 86,000 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 1919: 52.00 ft, moderate flooding; 65,000 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1928: 55.50 ft, moderate flooding; 76,000 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1928: 64.70 ft, major flooding; 108,000 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 1929: 65.30 ft, major flooding; 110,000 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1936: 55.40 ft, moderate flooding; 75,000 cubic feet per secondSep 2, 1952: 47.00 ft, minor flooding; 54,000 cubic feet per secondJan 24, 1954: 47.10 ft, minor flooding; 54,600 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1965: 44.20 ft, minor floodingJul 17, 1975: 45.30 ft, minor floodingMar 5, 1994: 35.10 ft, minor floodingFeb 19, 1995: 38.30 ft, minor floodingSep 7, 1996: 46.17 ft, minor floodingSep 17, 1999: 38.38 ft, minor floodingApr 12, 2003: 43.01 ft, minor floodingFeb 9, 2010: 37.98 ft, minor floodingOct 10, 2016: 58.94 ft, major flooding; 90,000 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 2018: 61.58 ft, major flooding; 94,143 cubic feet per secondOct 13, 2018: 24.60 ft, below flood stage; 16,411 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2018: 43.49 ft, minor flooding; 47,109 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 41.68 ft, minor flooding; 43,448 cubic feet per secondJan 4, 2021: 36.05 ft, minor flooding; 32,252 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 2021: 35.32 ft, minor flooding; 30,888 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2024: 42.94 ft, minor flooding; 43,956 cubic feet per second Highest, 65.30 ft, Oct 4, 1929 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cape Fear River at Fayetteville 1880s: 1 1890s: 1 1900s: 1 1910s: 1 1920s: 3 1930s: 1 1940s: 0 1950s: 2 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 0 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 2020s: 4 1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 2 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 68.00 ft on Aug 29, 1908; 68.90 ft on Sep 21, 1945.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Cape Fear River at Fayetteville
1Oct 4, 192965.30+30.30Major110,000
2Sep 22, 192864.70+29.70Major108,000
3Sep 19, 201861.58+26.58Major94,143
4Oct 10, 201658.94+23.94Major90,000
5May 24, 190158.50+23.50Major86,000
6Jan 12, 189558.00+23.00Major84,000
7Sep 8, 192855.50+20.50Moderate76,000
8Apr 8, 193655.40+20.40Moderate75,000
9Mar 1, 188852.30+17.30Moderate66,000
10Jul 24, 191952.00+17.00Moderate65,000
11Jan 24, 195447.10+12.10Minor54,600
12Sep 2, 195247.00+12.00Minor54,000
13Sep 7, 199646.17+11.17Minor—
14Jul 17, 197545.30+10.30Minor—
15Jul 29, 196544.20+9.20Minor—
16Nov 16, 201843.49+8.49Minor47,109
17Apr 12, 200343.01+8.01Minor—
18Aug 10, 202442.94+7.94Minor43,956
19Feb 8, 202041.68+6.68Minor43,448
20Sep 17, 199938.38+3.38Minor—
21Feb 19, 199538.30+3.30Minor—
22Feb 9, 201037.98+2.98Minor—
23Jan 4, 202136.05+1.05Minor32,252
24Feb 17, 202135.32+0.32Minor30,888
25Mar 5, 199435.10+0.10Minor—
26Oct 13, 201824.60−10.40Below flood stage16,411

The worst floods along the Cape Fear River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Cape Fear River that crested above flood stage within a week.

October 4, 1929: 65.30 ft here, major flooding

September 22, 1928: 64.70 ft here, major flooding

September 19, 2018: 61.58 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Cape Fear River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Cape Fear River
ElizabethtownNC25.043.20 ft, Sep 23, 19452
Fayetteville this gaugeNC35.065.30 ft, Oct 4, 19296
LillingtonNC14.033.19 ft, Sep 19, 19452
Lock 1NC24.030.68 ft, Sep 21, 20182
W.O. Huske LockNC42.075.50 ft, Sep 22, 19453
Wilmington (IN MLLW)NC5.59.03 ft, Aug 4, 20200

Other gauges in Cumberland County

Flood gauges in Cumberland County
Langdon St8.010.25 ft, Aug 8, 20240
Manchester18.038.30 ft, Sep 18, 20185
Strickland Bridge Rd10.012.35 ft, Aug 8, 20240
Research Dr near Fayetteville14.024.96 ft, Aug 9, 20240

Cumberland County: every hazard · River floods across the country · North Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FAYN7, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.