A cold front dropped into Southeast South Carolina from the north through the day. As the front became aligned across the Downtown Charleston area in the afternoon, numerous heavy rainfall producing thunderstorms developed.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS CHS wrote it up.
A cold front dropped into Southeast South Carolina from the north through the day. As the front became aligned across the Downtown Charleston area in the afternoon, numerous heavy rainfall producing thunderstorms developed. These thunderstorms trained across the area and caused extensive flash flooding.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 14, 12:27 PM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 127 PM EDT WED AUG 14 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION TODAY AND THEN STALL OUT THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTS TO THE NORTH. THIS WILL RESULT IN A VERY ACTIVE PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SEVERAL ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. THE FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH HIGH PRESSURE RETURNING TO THE REGION THEREAFTER. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING MOSTLY AROUND THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY AREA THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON ALONG THE WIND SHIFT. NEAR- TERM CONCERN IS THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL OVER DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON CONSIDERING THE APPROACH OF HIGH TIDE. OVERALL THE PREVIOUS THINKING IS STILL VALID AND NO MAJOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. AN ACTIVE WEATHER DAY ON TAP ACROSS THE REGION WITH WIDESPREAD CONVECTIVE RAIN EXPECTED. AS OF 10 AM THE PRE-FRONTAL WIND SHIFT HAS PUSHED SOUTH THROUGH THE SC MIDLANDS AND CSRA...BASICALLY ON THE BORDER OF OUR FORECAST AREA. EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER NEAR THIS BOUNDARY IS LEADING TO SOME DIFFERENTIAL HEATING WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S TO THE NORTH AND 80S SOUTH. RADAR IS INDICATING SCATTERED LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL...MAINLY ACROSS E-C GEORGIA EASTWARD ALONG THE FRONT TOWARD THE NORTHERN SC COAST. GIVEN THE UNUSUALLY WET AIR MASS IN PLACE /INDICATED BY THE 2.27 PWAT ON THE 12Z CHS SOUNDING/...INCREASING UPPER DIVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER JET ACROSS NEW ENGLAND...SOME MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND THE SURFACE CONVERGENCE ALONG THE LOW-LEVEL BOUNDARY AND DEVELOPING SEA BREEZE /MOSTLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA/...WE EXPECT INCREASING RAIN COVERAGE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN HAZARD TODAY WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD CAUSE SOME FLASH FLOODING...PARTICULARLY WHERE CONVECTIVE CELLS TRAIN ACROSS THE SAME AREAS. THIS MOST LIKELY WOULD OCCUR ALONG THE FRONT/WIND SHIFT AND WHERE THIS BOUNDARY INTERSECTS THE SEA BREEZE. WITH HIGH TIDE COMING EARLY-MID AFTERNOON THIS COULD LEAD TO A HIGHER FLASH FLOOD THREAT NEAR THE COAST IF HEAVY RAINFALL DEVELOPS THERE. GIVEN THE RECENT DRIER SPELL AND UNCERTAINTY IN WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL OCCUR...WE FEEL A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS NOT WARRANTED AT THIS TIME. WILL ALSO HAVE TO WATCH FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA WHERE DEEPER INSTABILITY AND DRIER AIR ALOFT WILL BE CONDUCIVE TO STRONG DOWNDRAFTS. OVERALL...THE MAIN CHANGE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WAS TO INCREASE POPS SLIGHTLY AND LOWER HIGHS SLIGHTLY...MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS WHERE CLOUD COVER IS THICKEST ALREADY. TONIGHT...THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO SAG INTO AT LEAST INTO THE UPPER HALF OF SE GEORGIA TONIGHT BEFORE STALLING LATE. MODELS ARE SIMILAR IN THE LOW LEVEL DEPICTION OF A WEDGE PATTERN DEVELOPING OVER N GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS BUT DIFFER WITH THE MESOSCALE IN THIS COMPLEX DEEP LAYERED ENVIRONMENT. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR WARM PROCESS HEAVY RAINS TONIGHT SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE REGION AS MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE ENERGY RIDES OVER THE STALLED FRONT AND DEEP MOISTURE MOVES VERY LITTLE. WE MAINTAINED LIKELY POPS ALL AREAS TONIGHT AND LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO RAISE POPS MORE IN SOME AREAS AND POSSIBLY EXTEND MENTIONS OF HEAVY RAIN. CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO PLACE HEAVY RAINFALL MAXIMA IN THE GRIDDED PRODUCTS TONIGHT. THERE WILL BE MUCH WEAKER INSTABILITY FILLING N TO S OVER THE REGION...SUGGESTING RAINS WILL BE LOW TOPPED AND THIS JIVES WITH THE INCREASING ISENTROPIC ASCENT PROGS SEEN ON THE 300K SURFACE AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST THINKING AND REASONING. ALOFT...THE REGION WILL BE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A MEAN TROUGH IN THE MID/UPPER LEVELS WITH A CLOSED LOW EVENTUALLY FORMING OVER THE MID MS VALLEY EARLY IN THE WEEKEND. AT THE SURFACE...THE MUCH DISCUSSED COLD FRONT WILL START THE DAY ON THURSDAY DRAPED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH A WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN BEHIND IT EAST OF THE APPALACHIANS. THERE WILL BE PLENTIFUL DEEP MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH PWATS APPROACHING 2.4 INCHES AT TIMES. THERE WILL BE GOOD LOW LEVEL FORCING IN THE FORM OF LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE NEARBY FRONT AND PERIODS OF ISENTROPIC LIFT. THIS COMBINED WITH SEVERAL SHORTWAVES PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA WILL RESULT IN A VERY WET AND ACTIVE PERIOD TO SAY THE LEAST. CREATING POP GRIDS TONIGHT WAS A BIT OF AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY AS THERE IS VERY LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN EXACTLY WHAT THE RADAR AND POP SCHEME WILL EVENTUALLY LOOK LIKE AT ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD. SO...THE FORECAST FEATURES LIKELY POPS EVERYWHERE THROUGH THE SATURDAY DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE PERIODS OF CATEGORICAL POPS AS WELL AS LULLS IN PRECIP COVERAGE WITH LITTLE TO NO MEASURABLE RAINFALL. GIVEN THE MOIST CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT I HAVE MAINTAINED THE HEAVY RAINFALL MENTION...WITH SUPPORT FROM WPC QPF FEATURING A MULTI-DAY PRECIP BULLSEYE STRIPE OF 4-5 INCHES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY COOLER THAN EARLIER THIS WEEK THANKS TO THE WIDESPREAD CLOUD COVER AND ONGOING PRECIP. IN FACT...HIGHS WILL RUN 5 DEGREES OR MORE BELOW NORMAL WITH THE POSSIBILITY FOR SOME AREAS ALONG THE MIDLANDS TO NOT GET OUT OF THE UPPER 70S ON THURSDAY AS THE WEDGE BUILDS IN. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... THE LONG TERM PERIOD WILL START OFF WITH A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN IN PLACE ALOFT AS THE AREA WILL BE CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CLOSED LOW OVER THE MIDWEST AND A RIDGE OVER THE ATLANTIC. THOUGH THE COLD FRONT WILL HAVE LARGELY LOST ITS IDENTITY OVER THE AREA...THE OVERALL PATTERN WILL BE ACTIVE WITH CONSIDERABLE DEEP MOISTURE IN PLACE. WITH SHORTWAVES PASSING OVER THE AREA IN THE S/SW FLOW ALOFT...HIGH POPS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS THAT THE ATLANTIC RIDGE AND ASSOCIATED UPPER ANTICYCLONE WILL BUILD WESTWARD AND INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. AS THIS OCCURS...PRECIP CHANCES AND TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY TRANSITION TO SOMETHING MORE TYPICAL OF MID/LATE AUGUST. && .AVIATION /17Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... RATHER UNSETTLED PERIOD GIVEN THE STALLING COLD FRONT IN THE AREA. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AROUND KCHS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTHWARD TOWARD KSAV THROUGH EARLY EVENING. RAIN CHANCES SHOULD DIMINISH OVERNIGHT AND THEN GO BACK UP TOWARD THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE WITH ANY HEAVY SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM. WILL LIKELY SEE AT LEAST MVFR CIGS DEVELOP OVERNIGHT GIVEN THE ABUNDANT LOW- LEVEL MOISTURE. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE FOR AT LEAST PERIODIC WIDESPREAD FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS AS A COLD FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY OVER THE REGION. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO OCCUR...WITH HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS COMMON. && .MARINE... THE COLD FRONT IN A WEDGING FASHION WILL BISECT OUR WATERS BY LATER TONIGHT. TODAY...STRONG OVERNIGHT SURGING FROM THE SW MOST WATERS WILL EBB AS THE FRONTAL TROUGH NEARS. WINDS OVER SOUTH CAROLINA WATERS EXPECTED TO SHIFT NE BY TONIGHT. THE BIG CONCERN FOR MARINERS TODAY WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TSTMS PRODUCING LOCALIZED WINDS OVER 35 KT...FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AND TORRENTIAL RAINS BRIEFLY PRODUCING LOW VSBYS. THE WINDOW FOR THE BEST CHANCES OF STORMS WILL BE FROM MID AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...A COLD FRONT WILL LAY ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY DISSIPATE AND RESULT IN A RATHER MODEST ONSHORE FLOW. THE MAIN TIME PERIOD OF CONCERN IS THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT. NE FLOW WILL SURGE ACROSS MAINLY THE CHARLESTON COUNTY WATERS AND COULD APPROACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THRESHOLDS. AS THE HIGH WEAKENS AND RETREATS...WINDS THEREAFTER WILL WEAKEN AND BE 15 KT OR LESS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND. SEAS WILL INCREASE THURSDAY AS A RESULT OF THE NE FLOW...REACHING UP TO 5 FT AROUND 20 NM OUT. OTHERWISE SEAS WILL GENERALLY BE 2-3 FT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... THE PERIGEAN SPRING TIDES ARE EARLY NEXT WEEK AND IF WINDS ARE NORTHEAST AT THAT TIME WE COULD BE DEALING WITH MINOR COASTAL FLOODING. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...RJB SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...BSH AVIATION...RJB MARINE...BSH TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 359 AM EDT WED AUG 14 2013 GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>052-150800- JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-COASTAL BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-COASTAL CHATHAM-LONG- INLAND LIBERTY-COASTAL LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH-COASTAL MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-INLAND BERKELEY- INLAND JASPER-BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- TIDAL BERKELEY- 359 AM EDT WED AUG 14 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. HEAVY RAIN...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TODAY AND RESULT IN NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL PRODUCING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. HEAVY RAIN...A COLD FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND LINGER THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING COULD OCCUR FROM THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...AND FLASH FLOOD WATCHES AND WARNINGS MAY EVENTUALLY BE NECESSARY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AMZ330-350-352-354-374-150800- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 359 AM EDT WED AUG 14 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ASSISTANCE IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Charleston,SC radar (KCLX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:50 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Public safety officials are routing traffic off of Ashley Avenue due to flooding. Report relayed through social media.
Numerous roads in Downtown Charleston closed or impassable due to flash flooding. Closed or impassable roads include America, Amherst to South, all of Market Street, Fifth and Fiall, Rutledge at Fishburne, Coming, Beaufain, the Crosstown, President, Ashley, Bennett, Calhoun from Bull to Smith, East Bay and Concord, Wentworth, South Tracy, and Church. Also, water was up to the bottom floor of several homes along Fishburne Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, August 2013
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 473209, 473210.