Flash Flood — Spartanburg, South Carolina

2015-10-01 · near Saxon, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Event narrative

County comms and FD reported significant flash flooding developed on the north side of the city of Spartanburg after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in only a couple of hours. Multiple roads were closed due to poor drainage flooding and due to Chinquapin Creek and other small tributaries overflowing their banks. A 56-year-old woman drowned in her vehicle when she drove into water on New Cut Rd. A man was injured when he drove his truck into a collapsed culvert on Hayne St near Ethel Rd. Water from Chinquapin Creek entered homes on Pearson St. Water from an overflowing tributary of Lawsons Fork Creek entered about a dozen apartment units at USC Upstate. Closed roads included Asheville Highway, Howard St, Valley Falls Rd, New Cut Rd and I-85 Business. Wet soil and erosion caused a tree to fell on a home in the Una Community.

Wider weather episode

Scattered, slow-moving thunderstorms developed during the early morning hours across Upstate South Carolina along a backdoor cold front. One of these storms developed over the city of Spartanburg and produced significant flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.9530, -81.9610)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 604878. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.