The destruction caused by Hurricane Helene showed no signs of slowing this weekend as its path of devastation spread across the American South. After slamming Florida’s Gulf Coast, the storm wreaked havoc in the Appalachian regions of North Carolina and Tennessee, creating what has been called an “Appalachian Apocalypse” due to catastrophic flooding. Now, the storm’s tropical downpours are causing potentially record-breaking flooding in South Carolina’s river basins.
The Palmetto State, which already took a significant hit from Helene last week, is now facing rising floodwaters, particularly in the Santee River basin. In downtown Columbia, the state capital, floodwaters on the Congaree River reached near-historic levels on Sunday evening. These waters approached the peaks seen during the infamous 2015 ‘Floodmageddon,’ an event considered to be a once-in-a-millennium storm.
By 8:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, September 29, 2024, the Congaree River had risen to 29 feet—just one foot below its major flood stage. Forecasts predicted it would crest at 31 feet on Monday afternoon, slightly above the threshold for major flooding but just shy of the 31.8-foot record reached during the 2015 disaster. The Congaree, which forms from the confluence of the Broad and Saluda rivers, flows southeast for 53 miles until it merges with the Wateree River to form the Santee.
The Santee basin, which drains vast areas of North and South Carolina’s piedmont region, includes multiple rivers such as the Catawba, Congaree, Broad, Linville, Saluda, and Wateree. Along with the Congaree, the Wateree River also exceeded major flood stage levels on Sunday, reaching 37.92 feet. Fortunately, the National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) projected that it would hold at that level and begin to recede in the coming week.
Further downstream, a flood warning is in effect for the Santee River from north of Pineville to North Santee, S.C. A gauge near Jameston, located in the middle of this warning area, recorded a level of 9.76 feet on Sunday evening—just below minor flood stage. The Santee River is expected to reach major flood stage by Friday, October 4, 2024, underscoring the prolonged impacts of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall several days ago but continues to affect the region.
As Hurricane Helene’s aftermath continues to unfold across South Carolina, stay tuned to this media outlet for updates and important information. The floodwaters are likely to persist, and their long-term effects will be felt far beyond the storm’s initial impact.
Photo Congaree Riverkeeper/Facebook
