Brooks' blog

River Flooding Continues thru Weekend

Be careful this weekend around area rivers, as the 3"-6" of rainfall received from the remnants of Ida over the last several days has pushed many to and past flood stage. The rivers have either reached their crest ("crest", being their highest point) or will do so Saturday, resulting in high, potentially dangerous waters through the weekend.

Beyond the shameful sewage issues plaguing area rivers due to high water -- especially a problem around Columbia, where raw human waste had been flowing directly *into* the river -- kids and pets should be kept close as a simple slip could become much more serious quickly with the rushing waters. Fishermen should also use caution, as muddy banks can become quite slippery in the days following a heavy rain thanks to saturated soils and splash.

The Congaree River at Columbia is right at flood stage, meaning some of the walking paths along the river may be impassible due to standing water but otherwise this is not a major event. Waters will begin to recede tomorrow, falling back below flood stage by lunchtime Saturday.

Farther downstream the flooding is a bit more significant on the Congaree River at Sandy Run, where the river is about one foot above flood stage. This may affect areas surrounding the river banks, but flooding isn't major. Waters should start to recede there tomorrow too, falling below flood stage by daybreak Sunday.

A few miles down at the Eastman plant, the river is significantly higher, reaching nearly eight feet above flood stage at its current crest. This may result in minor flooding around those industrial grounds, but this area is notorious for flooding first, so major human infrastructure (houses/roads) has been built around this reality. There, flood waters will not recede until Monday night.

For info on other area rivers, including the Saluda west of Lake Murray and the Enoree, check out the official NOAA river website! It's a great resource to add to your bookmarks, if you're a follower of river floods.

Meteorologist Brooks Garner, AMS/NWA

November Rainfall Records Fall

As the drizzle and light rain continues, both the 2-day and 3-day November rainfall records have fallen as 3.01" of rain received in 48hrs breaks the old 2.78" 48hr total and the 2.90" 72hr total. (After today, we'll have received even more to build on top of the already-broken 3-day record totals for November.) [Note: "Lexington" (CAE) -- Columbia Metro Airport -- is the official reporting station for Columbia,SC]

While we easily get more rain in 'one sitting' in summertime thunderstorms (leading to flash flooding on streets), November is a typically dry month with only a few tenths of an inch at a time.

The remnants of Ida were responsible for this round of unusually heavy rain -- and Ida itself was a rather unusual event, as only twelve tropical systems have ever made landfall in recorded history on the coast of the US in the Atlantic basin. (8 of those were tropical storms, while 4 were hurricanes.) While Ida lost tropical characteristics before making landfall near Pensacola, FL (so won't be technically classified as such), these stats do reinforce how rare it is to receive 'tropical rain' in November.

Thru the weekend, river flood warnings will continue for rising waters around central South Carolina. If you live along typically flood-prone rivers, do monitor this situation closely. For everyone else, it will simply be remembered as a solid 2"-6" soaking of rain resulting in a good base for the water table helping to further alleviate drought concerns, and make our grass greener.

The good news? We can all get ready for a warm, sunny weekend! But do STAY OUT of the rivers as there will be lots of water rushing past, making it dangerous for children to play by the river and for fisherman who can't swim (or can) to tempt its slippery, muddy banks.

-Meteorologist Brooks Garner, AMS/NWA