People gather to gawk, watch rising Cape Fear River

With the first peak of sunshine in days, many ventured out to take photos of rising riverbanks on Monday.

"This water is never this high unless something like this happens," Fayetteville resident Chris Hillyard said after taking a photo of the Cape Fear River.

People were not only taking a look at how high the river has risen, they were also noticing the debris in the water - which included basketballs, soccer balls and an old propane tank.

Not only are people taking a look at how high the river has risen, they’re taking a look at the debris in the water. There’s some pretty interesting stuff in there.

"We saw a camper shell floating down the river a while ago. Hopefully it wasn’t attached to a truck," Fayetteville resident Ray Carter said.

On Monday evening, the Cape Fear River had risen to 54 feet - nearly 25 feet above flood stage. It was expected to crest on Tuesday nearly 62 feet.