43
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.0M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Anderson County, South Carolina: 43 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #752 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Anderson County, South Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Anderson County is the 2000s, when 18 of the county's 43 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Anderson County archive, flash flood makes up 5.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #752 for this hazard and #12 within South Carolina, putting it in the 75.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for flash flood in Anderson County with 8 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | POWDERSVILLE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $300K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | POWDERSVILLE | 0 | $300K |
| Oct 7, 2021 | DENVER | 0 | $50K |
| May 20, 2020 | DENVER | 0 | $1K |
| Feb 6, 2020 | POWDERSVILLE | 0 | $500K |
| Dec 30, 2015 | SAYLORS XRDS | 0 | $1K |
| Sep 13, 2014 | ANDERSON | 0 | $50K |
| Jan 11, 2014 | HONEA PATH | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 11, 2014 | CAMPBELL | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2013 | BELTON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2013 | BELTON | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Anderson County
- Thunderstorm Wind 514
- Hail 226
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Stream gauges on the Saluda River in west Greenville and west Pelzer indicated flash flooding developed along the river after 8-15 inches of rain fell across the foothills in three days, with 1.5 to 2.5 inches of that falling in less than three hours on the morning of the 27th. Multiple homes and structures were inundated and damaged on the Anderson County side of the river from Powdersville down to Pelzer, including on Lakeview Dr, Birch River Rd, and on River Rd. A 60-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle was swept away in floodwater.
Stream gauges indicated flash flooding developed across northeast Anderson County after 4 to 6 inches of rain fell across the area in about 24 hours, with much of the falling during the morning and early afternoon of the 6th. A stream gauge on Eighteen Mile Creek near Pendleton indicated flooding of Central Rd and Bishop Branch Rd. Meanwhile, rare flash flooding of a main stem river occurred along the Saluda River from west Greenville/ Powdersville to West Pelzer, flooding multiple roads in the Anderson County side of the river. Newspaper reported multiple other roads closed due to a combination of poor drainage and small stream flooding across Powdersville, Anderson, and Willimaston. These included Shackleburg Rd, Scotts Bridge Rd, Mountain Springs Rd, and Orr Rd.
Seven-and-a-half inches of rain fell in 3 hours along the Anderson/Pickens County line just after midnight on the nineteenth. The result was flooding of numerous bridges, roads, and buildings. A vehicle was swept from a road by rushing water, and the driver required rescuing. Trees were washed away along highways 8, 81 and 178.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Anderson County, South Carolina?
43 flash flood events are recorded in Anderson County between 1996 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Anderson County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Anderson County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Anderson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Anderson County, South Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/south-carolina/anderson-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.