If you’ve been following the news this weekend you can’t help but see many stories about the massive and unprecedented flooding which is occurring in South Carolina and surrounding areas right now. Some areas in South Carolina have reported over 24 inches of rain in a single day! And the rain is still falling over portions of the state, although it is slowing down at the moment.
Charleston was in the worst part of the rain, as you can see from the 7-day radar-estimated rainfall map below. They set their 1-day, 2-day, and 3-day all-time rainfall records. Even more amazingly, they have already set their all-time MONTHLY rainfall record on the 4th day of the month, never mind what happens in the other 27 days still to come. Fortunately for them, the rain band moved north for part of the day today, but it is raining there now as I write this. Over 250 roads and 100 bridges in SC have been closed by the rain, including a good portion of I-95. Numerous dams have failed.
The storm was well predicted by the National Weather Service several days out, although even they did not get the immense amount of rain right. This is an event that will cause economic upheaval and personal trauma for months, if not years, to come. It is estimated at a 1000-year storm at the locations with the most rain.
While it is too early to assess the impacts on agriculture in the area, they are likely to be substantial. Even before the massive flooding, the Associated Press was reporting that “in North Carolina, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says farmers are starting to see the impact of the continuous rain on their crops. Apples in Henderson County are starting to split open because they’re waterlogged and farmers can’t get into the fields to harvest other crops.”
I will update this map tomorrow to include today’s rainfall. Please keep South Carolina and the surrounding areas in your thoughts and prayers as the impacts of this flood on the people there are only starting to be seen.
Here are links to a couple of stories about the disastrous flooding:
Mashable –Unprecedented rain leads to massive flooding in SC
Slate –Historic rainfall pummels the Carolinas and floods Charleston
Weather Underground–Devastating Rains in South Carolina; Joaquin Lashing Bermuda
No doubt there will be many more in the days to come.
