COLUMBIA, S.C. — Heavy rainfall that moved through the Southeast last week is still the cause of minor flooding in the Midlands, though levels are beginning to recede.
The Columbia Metropolitan Airport only received around an inch and a half of rain during the event, but a widespread 3 to 5+ inches of rain fell in parts of the Upstate and in North Carolina.
Portions of the Congaree River and the Wateree River are under flood warnings through Thursday and Friday respectively. These are areas that typically flood when there are heavy rainfall events, including portions of the flood plain in the Congaree National Park. However, residents along Lake Wateree are also affect by the increased water levels at their homes.
Meteorologist Chris Landolfi from the National Weather Service office in Columbia says that the Midlands do not need much rainfall to experience flooding issues.
"With river flood warnings, what we're really concerned with is what's falling upstream. So most of our rivers flow northwest to southeast or north to south, so typically what we're concerned about is when we get some heavy rain that's falling in the Upstate and in North Carolina," Landolfi tells News 19. "So when that happens, you know, it's kind of a slower process for it to drain downstream and it's kind of exacerbated by the fact that we have a lot of hydroelectric plants that are on the river so they kind of control how fast or how much water they're going to release downstream."
If you are in a flood prone area, the National Weather Service's flood warnings include information on specific water levels and how it may effect residents and local infrastructure. Landolfi also says that residents can contact the NWS in Columbia for further information on the flooding forecast.
Thankfully, no significant rainfall is expected over the next week so water levels are forecast to continue to decrease over the next few days.
"We don't expect any rain in the next week so that's good news for the rivers and if you live along the river it might just be maybe a day or two but it should continue to fall over the coming days," says Landolfi.