As it stands now, Charleston is underwater and more rain is expected throughout Saturday evening and Sunday. The Charleston Police Department has closed off access to the peninsula.
“What we are experiencing is an unprecedented event. That is the huge amount of rain over a relatively short period of days,” said Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., who added that this month’s rainfall will reach record amounts for Charleston in the month of October.
“This will eventually pass,” said Mayor Riley. “Our goal right now is just to get everybody through safe and in the most pleasant manner possible.”
The potential for flooding will be greatest when heavy rain occurs within two hours of high tide. The highest tides are expected Saturday afternoon at 1:04 p.m. and may potentially linger into Saturday night. Sunday’s high tides will occur at 1:34 a.m. and 2:03 p.m.
The National Weather Service has declared a 100 percent chance of precipitation Saturday evening. Rainfall could exceed 4 inches for the night. According to the National Weather Service, a powerful low pressure system over the Southeast will slowly move northeast across the Charleston area through Sunday. This storm will be accompanied by the potential for dangerous flooding from heavy rainfall and high tides.
The Weather Service is calling for more than 10 inches of rainfall for Charleston over the weekend with storms lasting throughout Sunday evening. Some areas are expecting record rainfall amounts. The flash flood warning for Charleston ends at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, but a coastal flood warning continues until 4 p.m. The area remains under a flash flood watch until 2 p.m. Sunday.
Due to the extreme weather and flood conditions, Charleston County has activated the Emergency Operations Center and elevated the operational condition to OPCON 3. The OPCON scale usually sits at OPCON 5, which mean everything is fine. OPCON 3 means a disaster or emergency situation is likely or imminent. The move to OPCON 3 leads to the full or partial activation of the Charleston County Emergency Operations Center and activation of the Charleston County Emergency Operations Plan. The goal of the Charleston County EOC, located in North Charleston, is to provide centralized direction and control during disaster situations and handle evacuation, sheltering, and response plans.
Current street closures include:
Ashley between Broad and Tradd
Colonial between Tradd and Broad
Barre/Wentworth intersection
Bennett between Ashley and Rutledge
South Market from Church to East Bay
America between Cooper and Lee
Drake between South and Chapel
Morrison between Stuart and Cooper
America between South and Amherst
Hagood between Line and Fishburne
Coming between Beaufain and Wentworth
Huger/President intersection
Huger between Columbus and Lee
Gordon between 12th and Rutledge
Simmons between Darlington and Enston
Beaufain between Lockwood and Coming
Piedmont between Maple and Peachtree
Morris between St. Phillip and Smith
Huger between Senate and Meeting
King at Huger
Washington between Calhoun and Hasell
Rutledge between Calhoun and Bennett
Ashley between Calhoun and Bennett
Calhoun at Rutledge
Vanderhorst between Rutledge and Coming
Rutledge between Sheppard and Fishburne
President between Highway 17 and Fishburne
Pinckney between Church and Meeting
Calhoun between Elizabeth and East Bay
Cannon at President
Bee at President
The Crosstown
Keats/Oak Forest intersection
Brownswood at Summertree
Spring at Kracke
Fleming at Stir Creek
Winners Circle
Bohicket Road at Maybank Highway
Harbor View Road at Lawton Place
Southwick Road at Brownsfield Road
Killfish, Dunwick, Southwick
Savannah Highway at Orleans Road (outside lane)
Playground Road at Falkirk Drive — OPEN
Wappoo Road at Grech Street — Wappoo is open; Grech Street is closed.
Lindendale Avenue at Riverdale Drive — OPEN
St. Terese Drive at Moore Drive
Morrison Drive at the International Longshoremen’s Association
Summertrees Boulevard
Winborn Drive from Dills Bluff Road to Quaill Drive
Secessionville Road at Woodview Lane
Nottingham Drive at W. Robinhood Drive
Folly southbound from Signal Pointe Road to Rafeal Lane
Grimball Road Extension
Hickory Knoll Way at Maybank Highway
Seacroft Road
Towne Street at Maybank Highway
Calhoun Street at Smith Street
Central Park Road
Lockwood at Broad
Main from U.S. 17 to River Road
Hickory Knoll
Battle Ground Road
Highway 17 at Main Road
River Road at Main Road
Dunmeyer Hill Road
Blears Bluff and Liberia Road
Kiawah Island Parkway front gate
Point of Pines Road at Hwy 174
Folly Road at Camp Road
Stono Ferry front gate at Hwy 162 – flooded but passable
Signal Point off of Folly Road
Salters Hill Road at Jenkins Montgomery Road – flooded but passable
Smith St/ Radcliffe St – CLOSED
Savannah Hwy/Farmfield – CLOSED
Savannah Hwy/Apollo – CLOSED
Shadowmoss Parkway/Heather Glen – CLOSED
Shadowmoss Parkway/Hunters Forest – CLOSED
Dunvegan from Shadowmoss Pkwy to Still Shadow – CLOSED
Bees Ferry from 61 to Foxhall Rd – PASSABLE – ONE LANE SOUTHBOUND
Rutledge/Tradd – CLOSED
Murray Blvd from Coast Guard Station to King St – CLOSED
Isabella from Meeting to N Nassau – CLOSED
N Romney from Meeting to N Nassau – CLOSED
61 at Wallace School Rd – CLOSED
All side streets on 61 from Ashley Hall to Wesley Dr – CLOSED
St Andrews Gardens Apts (1385 Ashley River Rd) – CLOSED
Calhoun between Meeting and East Bay – CLOSED
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