South Carolina, 2024

Flash Flood in South Carolina, May 5, 2024

May 5, 2024 · NWS CAE · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Early morning thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall across portions of the forecast area prompting the issuance of Flood Advisories and a Flash Flood Warning in the Columbia Metro area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS CAE wrote it up.

Early morning thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall across portions of the forecast area prompting the issuance of Flood Advisories and a Flash Flood Warning in the Columbia Metro area.

What forecasters said that day

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 Columbia, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 5, 2:51 AM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 2:51 AM EST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 2:53 AM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
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The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 9 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Richland

When
May 5, 4:38 AM EST to 8:31 AM EST
Where
Richland County, 0.68 mi NW of Olympia Mills to 0.7 mi NW of Olympia Mills
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Other Federal Agency
Coordinates
33.987, -81.028

Minor flooding occurred at the intersection of Whaley Street and Main Street due to flooding of Rocky Branch Creek. A total of 1.0 to 1.5 inches of rain fell in less than 1 hour.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in South Carolina in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, May 2024

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1171521.