Flood in Orangeburg County, South Carolina

Record crest flooding occurred along the North Fork Edisto River as a result of heavy rain and upstream small pond and dam failures, causing several fatalities and damage to numerous structures in Orangeburg. The North Fork Edisto in Orangeburg rose from 7.00 feet at 12am EST on November 7th to a record crest of 15.34 feet at 1030pm on November 7th. The river remained in flood until November 10th. Two fatalities occurred in Orangeburg as a result of the river flooding. Damage occurred to the Walmart, CVS, and several other structures in downtown Orangeburg.

Record 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. Hurricane Rafael in the Gulf of Mexico contributed to the influx of extremely anomalous moisture. Northern Orangeburg and western Calhoun counties received over 10 and the surrounding counties saw over 6 as training tropical downpours and thunderstorms lingered over the area. Widespread flash flooding was reported from initial rainfall, causing numerous small dam and pond failures. Additional flooding from dam and pond failures along with substantial river flooding occurred along the North Fork Edisto River.