Floods, Droughts, and Hurricanes

The objective of this investigation will be to assess the effects of impoundments on streamflow across the contiguous hydrologic regions in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia as defined by Feaster and others (2014, 2009). Given the historic flooding in South Carolina in October 2015 following Hurricane Joaquin (Feaster and others, 2015) and in South Carolina and North Carolina in October...

The South Atlantic Water Science Center prepares for Hurricane Dorian.

In 2015, Dr. Robert Holmes, USGS National Flood Hazard Coordinator, took time to discuss some issues related to the flooding in South Carolina following the Appalachian Floods and Hurricane Joaquin.

The South Atlantic Water Science Center prepares for Hurricane Florence to make landfall along the Carolina coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has created flood-inundation maps for selected streamgage sites in Georgia, North and South Carolina. These maps depict the approximate area that would be inundated at selected water levels, ranging from approximately top-of-bank to the maximum observed water level. The inundated areas depicted on these maps are approximate, and accuracy of the maps is a function...

A major element of the USGS mission is the documentation of the extent and magnitude of extreme hydrologic events, like floods and droughts. The South Atlantic Water Science Center is a leader in monitoring extreme water conditions, from droughts and falling groundwater levels to floods and storm-tide surges to water-quality problems.

Floodplain and wetland areas provide critical ecosystem services to local and downstream communities by retaining sediments, nutrients, and floodwaters. The loss of floodplain functionality due to land use conversion and degradation reduces the provisioning of these services. Assessing, quantifying, and valuing floodplain ecosystem services provide a framework to estimate how floodplain systems...

Hurricane Matthew generated large amounts of rainfall in South and North Carolina during September/October 2016. The South Atlantic Water Science Center, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, recorded High-Water Marks along selected road crossings, within the Pee Dee and Waccamaw River Basins of South Carolina.

Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina flood related information.

When rainfall is less than normal for several weeks, months, or years, the flow of streams and rivers declines, water levels in lakes and reservoirs fall, and the depth to water in wells increases. If dry weather persists and water-supply problems develop, the dry period can become a drought.

Hurricane Information for Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Preventing flood hazards, such as the hurricane induced storm surge, from becoming human disasters requires an understanding of the relative risks floods pose to specific communities and knowledge of the processes by which flood waters rise, converge, and abate. Historically, hurricane-induced storm tides have been documented through measurement of high-water marks left on structures or vegetation...