Hurricane Ian isn’t likely to flood Horry County’s rivers — but another storm could soon after

Rivers throughout South Carolina’s Pee Dee region are sitting at normal levels and aren’t projected to approach flood stages this week even as Hurricane Ian and other tropical storms are churning toward the U.S. mainland.

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory for the state’s northeast portion through Sunday as Ian’s track becomes more certain, though forecasters aren’t warning of hazardous conditions in the region.

The Waccamaw River is several feet below flood state

The 140-mile-long river flows across the southwestern part of Horry County, running past Conway as it hugs the Atlantic Ocean.

As of Sept. 26, the Waccamaw was sitting at 8.3 feet, and shouldn’t rise above 8.6 feet through the weekend, according to National Weather Service hydrology maps.

Sept. 26 is significant for county residents who lived here in 2018, when storm waters from Hurricane Florence pushed the river to its highest-ever recorded level of 21.16 feet on that exact day four years ago.

Minor flood level is 11 feet. Anything at least 14 feet and greater is considered a major flood event. Minor flooding of yards in areas around Lee’s Landing, Pitch Landing and Savannah Bluff in unincorporated parts of the county that abut the river doesn’t happen until around 11.5 feet. At 13 feet, residential areas off S.C Highways 905 and 90 will begin to flood. Conway’s marina and downtown locations stay mostly dry until the river hits 15 feet, but U.S. 501 remains usable until levels creep to 21 feet.

The Little Pee Dee River is draining

The 116-mile-long Pee Dee tributary joins its namesake at the confluence of Horry, Georgetown and Marion counties.

As of Sept. 26, it was 3.6 feet and is on track to drawn to 3.3 feet by Sept. 30, according to a gauge station at Galivants Ferry.

The river’s historic crest also came during Hurricane Florence when on Sept. 21, 2018 it hit 17.21 feet, barely surpassing 2016 levels brought by Hurricane Matthew.

The Little Pee Dee has the capacity for 8 feet of water before swelling over its banks. At 12 feet, dozens of homes in the rural Fork Retch community near Nichols would see flooding.

The Pee Dee River is running low

The National Weather Service’s Pee Dee gauge — situated along U.S. Route 301 in Florence County - has the river sitting at just feet as of Sept. 27. It should remain at that level at least through Oct. 1.

With a flood stage of 19 feet, there’s no threat of runoff into neighboring Horry County due to Ian or any other tropical storm that could make landfall within the next 10 days.

The Pee Dee hit 31.83 feet on Sept. 21, 2018 during Hurricane Florence.

North Carolina’s Lumber River is within safe levels

Downstream flooding from North Carolina waterways can have a devastating effect on the Grand Strand, so weather watchers here always keep an eye across the state line.

The Lumber River’s monitoring station in Lumberton — 78 miles north of Myrtle Beach — has water levels at 6.8 feet as of Sept. 26, with a steady decline projected through Oct. 1. Flood stage is 13 feet.

This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 12:00 AM.