Floods, Droughts, and Hurricanes

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 (early October 2015).

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

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.

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.

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.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) South Atlantic Water Science Center streamgage program is part of the nationwide program that provides streamflow information for a variety of purposes—including the protection of life and property, infrastructure design, recreational usage, and long-term trend assessment. This information is critical to resource managers, farmers, fishermen, kayakers, land-use...

As Hurricane Matthew moved up the Atlantic coast of the U.S., the USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC) deployed most of the USGS Storm-Tide Network along the Atlantic coast to monitor the timing, extent, and magnitude of the storm tide during the passage of Hurricane Matthew.

The multiyear drought in North and South Carolina (summer 1998-fall 2002) brought wide recognition of the vulnerability of the water resources in these two States to climatic conditions. To prepare for drought conditions in the future, water managers and State and Federal water-resource agencies sought to develop tools to assess hydrologic conditions in both a predictive and responsive manner...

Find out about drought conditions in Georgia. Our page offers links to maps and data, as well as Georgia and National drought links, drought resources from other agencies, and pertinent publications.

Find out about drought conditions in South Carolina. Our page offers links to maps and data, as well as South Carolina drought links, drought resources from other agencies, and pertinent publications.

Find out about drought conditions in North Carolina. Our page offers links to maps and data, as well as North Carolina drought links, drought resources from other agencies, and pertinent publications.

Many days of continuous heavy rain in mid-September 2009 resulted in flooding in many parts of Georgia, especially in north Georgia and the Atlanta region. The rains produced streamflows of record proportions. rivers and streams had magnitudes so great that the odds of it happening were less than 0.2 percent in any given year. In other words, there was less than a 1 in 500 chance that parts of...