Flash Flood in South Carolina
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in South Carolina, year by year, with the most significant episodes. 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.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in South Carolina.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 1,775
- Deaths
- 27
- Injuries
- 43
- Damage
- $200 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 26 to 27, 2024Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 27 to 28, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in South Carolina, October 3 to 7, 2015Heavy rain in the Midlands...Pee Dee produced flash flooding in across the area. Numerous dams were breached along with numerous bridge and roadways flooded and damaged.
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in South Carolina, September 14 to 16, 2018Hurricane Florence began its long Atlantic trek from the Cape Verde Islands in early September. It made landfall near Wrightsville Beach during the morning of September 14th.
- Hurricane and Tornado in South Carolina, October 8 to 25, 2016Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 22 to 23, 2000The two tornadoes that occurred in Allendale County were associated with the remnants of T.S. Helene as it moved across Georgia and South Carolina.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 7 to 8, 2004NWS survey along with dept. of highways, found trees down across US601 from a small tornado.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, January 7 to 8, 1998A powerful winter storm brought flooding rain, high winds, and a tornado to the Upstate from the evening of the 7th into the early morning of the 8th. Rainfall between 4 and 7 inches during a 2-day period across the mountains and foothills resulted in significant flooding.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Carolina, August 9 to 10, 2014A backdoor cold front moving from the northeast toward the southwest caused numerous thunderstorms and heavy rain showers to suddenly erupt as it moved across northern portions of Upstate South Carolina during the evening.
- Flash Flood and Hail in South Carolina, July 1, 2012Many severe thunderstorms developed over the Midlands and CSRA producing large hail and wind damage. Hail sizes were mostly golf ball to tennis ball size. The SC Insurance News Service reported home and auto claims of around 7 million dollars.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, February 6 to 7, 2020Unusually high levels of moisture for early February combined with a slow-moving frontal system to produce an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall across Upstate South Carolina from the morning of the 5th until the early morning hours of the 7th.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in South Carolina, November 6 to 10, 2024Record setting rainfall occurred across portions of the southern Midlands as a stalled front and a deep plume of tropical moisture caused rain rates of over 2-4 per hour for over six hours.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, September 11 to 12, 2017Irma first developed into a tropical storm on August 30th about 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, and within 24 hours strengthened into a hurricane. Irma continued to intensify and became a major hurricane over the eastern Atlantic on September 1st.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, May 23, 2026A lingering stalled front remained in the forecast area 5/23, but a embedded shortwave in the general troughing pattern moved in during the afternoon and evening hours, leading to scattered convection to develop.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, January 9, 2024Strong upper level and surface areas of low pressure moved NE into the Midwest, while a cold front along with a secondary weak low, formed and moved through the area.
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, July 9 to 10, 2013Slow moving thunderstorm complexes developed for a second evening over Upstate South Carolina. The storms caused a few areas of flash flooding and knocked down several trees, mainly due to wet ground.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in South Carolina, April 5, 2022An upper level disturbance and the interaction of surface boundaries, along with increasing moisture, led to thunderstorms that developed and moved east across the region during the afternoon.
- Flash Flooding in South Carolina, August 6, 2013Slow moving thunderstorms produced very heavy rain over western Upstate South Carolina, triggering areas of flash flooding. One fatality resulted from a car being swept into a flooded stream.
- Flash Flooding and Coastal Flood in South Carolina, December 17, 2023A low pressure system developed over the Gulf of Mexico and tracked northeast across the Florida Peninsula in the early morning hours of December 17th, then strengthened across warm Atlantic waters while passing along the Southeast Coast, bringing impacts in the form of major…
- Flash Flood and Flood in South Carolina, October 1, 2015Scattered, slow-moving thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours across Upstate South Carolina along a backdoor cold front. One of these storms developed over the city of Spartanburg and produced significant flash flooding.
- Flash Flooding and Coastal Flood in South Carolina, October 1 to 5, 2015A historic flooding event affected the Carolinas from October 1-7, 2015. A stalled front offshore combined with deep tropical moisture streaming northwest into the area ahead of a strong upper level low pressure system to the west and Hurricane Joaquin well to the east.
- Flash Flood in South Carolina, August 3, 1996Between 3 and 6 inches of rain fell, inundating streets. The most water long-time residents had ever seen. County 911 center was flooded as city drainage system was overwhelmed. A motorist was killed when his vehicle hit a large puddle ovurturned in a ditch and he lost control.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in South Carolina, August 5 to 9, 2024Debby first developed into a tropical storm about 100 miles west-southwest of Key West, Florida late afternoon on August 3rd, then gradually strengthened to a strong tropical storm while tracking north across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on August 4th.
- Flash Flood in South Carolina, March 20, 2001A low pressure system caused heavy showers and wind gusts 30 to 50 mph that downed a few powerlines...but widespread rainwater flooding along the Grand Strand caused more serious problems.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in South Carolina, October 2 to 5, 2015A deep amplitude east coast upper trough closed off across the southeast states for several days while a surface front meandered across the area. Deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean continued to feed into the area.
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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 2026-09-24.