Heavy rain causes Neuse River to flood in some areas

A week of heavy rain sent the Neuse River over its banks southeast of Raleigh on Thursday, prompting flood warnings in Johnston and Wayne counties.

The Neuse topped 19 feet in Smithfield late Wednesday, just shy of major flood stage, and remained high enough to flood riverwalk areas even as its levels fell steadily Thursday morning.

Warnings from the National Weather Service said the water reached the base of the holding tank for the town’s water treatment plant.

Goldsboro also remained threatened Thursday as Neuse waters continued to rise. The river was expected to hit its 18-foot flood stage Friday and push as high as 20 feet over the weekend.

In Raleigh and Clayton, the Neuse had crested Wednesday and dropped back to normal levels around 5 feet, according to U.S. Geological Survey gauges on the river.

Millions of gallons of sewage spilled into several Raleigh creeks and streams this week, and greenways were underwater in Clayton.

In all, the Triangle has seen between 3 and 5 inches of rain over the last week.

Thursday got off to wet start, but the rain should ease up as the day goes on, according to ABC11 meteorologist Don Schwenneker.

“I think the evening commute should be a better one for you,” he said.

Temperatures are expected to reach into the mid-40s Thursday, about 20 degrees below normal, Schwenneker said.

Look for the sun to return Friday, he said, bringing with it warmer temps.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 10:36 AM.