Monday, August 31, 2015

6.5 inches (Near-record) rainfall, heavy flooding closes roads across Lowcountry in South Carolina


 










































 

SLIDESHOW: Heavy flooding in the Lowcountry Monday
 

Posted: August 31, 2015
By Suzelle Santos

By Live 5 News Web Staff


Aug 31, 2015 09:37 AM


The city of Charleston saw 6.43 inches in 6 hours Monday, making it the 5th wettest day ever recorded in the city.

The old record for rainfall in Charleston on Aug. 31 was set in 2006, when 2.61 inches of rain were recorded. The highest daily rainfall amount recorded in the month of August for Charleston is 7.88 inches set on Aug. 11, 1940, according to Meteorologist Justin Lock.

Shortly after 4 p.m., several streets remained closed in downtown Charleston, according to Charleston Police spokesman Charles Francis:
Barre and Gadsden Streets closed from Bennett to Bull Streets
Wentworth and Barre
Ashley and Bennett
Ashley and Tradd

Flash flood warnings issued Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties Counties were canceled at 10 a.m Monday. The flood advisory remained through 11:30 and the coastal flood advisory for Charleston, coastal Colleton, Beaufort and coastal Jasper Counties lasted until noon.

At 8:56 a.m., minutes before a flash flood warning was set to expire, Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch reported several road closures and water entering homes in parts of North Charleston.

Service from CARTA DASH Trolleys was temporarily suspended, CARTA says.

Among the areas experiencing flooding were downtown Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, Hanahan, the Naval Weapons Station Charleston and Magnolia Gardens.

The weather service reminded motorists to "Turn Around, Don't Drown" when encountering flooded roads. In a tweet to its followers, the City of North Charleston said: "Pro tip: Your car isn't a boat, don't drive through standing water."

Many roads across the Lowcountry were impassible because of flooding.

Dispatch also said the intersection of Rivers Avenue and Otranto Road in North Charleston were impassible. There were also reports of standing water on Crossroads Dr. Northwoods Boulevard up to the Holiday Inn was closed as well, dispatch said. The intersection of Greenridge Road and Crossroads Drive was also closed to traffic.

Officials say King Tides could impact the Charleston area through Wednesday.

They cause the tide to be a lot higher than normal during new full moons and can cause flooding, especially on rainy days.