Rivers in South Carolina

Pee Dee River at Cheraw

Chesterfield County, South CarolinaNWS CHES1USGS 02130000West Columbia office

Below flood stage
3.29ftStage

Observed Tue, Sep 22, 5:15 AM EDT

Flood stage
30.00 ft
Forecast crest
3.20 ftWed, Sep 23, 8:00 AM EDT
Record crest
50.40 ft1945

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood42.00 ft
Moderate flood36.00 ft
Minor flood30.00 ft
Action20.00 ft
  1. 55.00 ftExtensive damage occurs in small communities downstream from Cheraw.
  2. 50.00 ftExtensive flooding of farmland around and downstream from Cheraw is expected.
  3. 42.00 ftSecondary roads downstream from Cheraw begin to flood.
  4. 40.00 ftPotential loss of livestock and farm equipment in river bottomland near Cheraw is possible.
  5. 36.00 ftExtensive overflow of the left bank will occur and large areas of farmland near Cheraw will be flooded. Livestock and farm equipment should be moved to higher ground.
  6. 35.00 ftSoutheast of Wallace, Old River Road between Community Road and Highway 912 will become flooded and may need to be closed.
  7. 33.00 ftSoutheast of Wallace, water spreads onto Old River Road between Community Road and Highway 912.
  8. 30.00 ftThe higher bank begins to flood. Large areas of farmland and river bottomland near Cheraw will be flooded. Portions of Riverside Park become flooded.
  9. 20.00 ftRiver bottomland downstream from cheraw will begin to flood.

Flood outlook

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding14%
Moderate flooding9%
Major floodingUnder 5%

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued September 15, 2026.

Crest history

172 crests on NOAA’s list since 1864.

#DateStage
1September 19, 194550.40 ft
2August 27, 190847.20 ft
3September 18, 201846.60 ft
4January 1, 186445.50 ft
5September 20, 192844.90 ft
6April 12, 200343.00 ft
7April 8, 193642.80 ft
8October 4, 192942.70 ft
9February 8, 202042.50 ft
10February 27, 197942.44 ft
11March 17, 191242.40 ft
12April 2, 197342.32 ft
13March 23, 200342.10 ft
14March 3, 198741.75 ft
15May 23, 202041.74 ft
16March 16, 197541.72 ft
17October 4, 198941.70 ft
18November 15, 202041.44 ft
19November 24, 200641.40 ft
20March 5, 195241.34 ft
21June 24, 197240.65 ft
22October 18, 196440.39 ft
23January 24, 195440.10 ft
24March 21, 194439.80 ft
25January 21, 189239.70 ft

Most recent crests

  • February 14, 2025: 33.08 ft
  • September 29, 2024: 33.62 ft
  • September 18, 2024: 21.11 ft
  • August 10, 2024: 37.03 ft
  • March 29, 2024: 28.57 ft
  • March 11, 2024: 24.12 ft
  • March 3, 2024: 21.43 ft
  • January 29, 2024: 32.30 ft
  • January 12, 2024: 38.87 ft
  • December 28, 2023: 32.92 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the Southeast River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely year-round. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. Gauge reading affected by reservoir operations.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.