The Williamston, Pelzer and Piedmont area, along with most of the upstate may have dodged a bullet, escaping most of the heavy rainfall experienced across the state over the weekend. The Saluda River at the Pelzer Dam reached 8.5 ft. Sunday afternoon, cresting several feet below flood stage of 12 ft. and had dropped to 6 ft. as of 8:14 a.m. Monday. Furthur downstream, Columbia and Charleston have experienced extreme flooding.
According to the National Weather Service, the last two times the Saluda River at Pelzer has reached flood stage were:
July 8, 2005 when it reached 12.22 ft., and Sept. 9, 2004 when it reached 12.18 ft. The highest recorded river level at Pelzer was more than double flood stage at 25.6 ft. on August 25, 1908. The lowest on record was the year before, in 1907 when the river lowwater was measured at 1.8 ft/ pm August 8 of that year.
