Daily rain record set at Greenville-Spartanburg airport

Record rainfall caused street flooding, closed schools early and had state officials preparing for the worst as more than 3 inches of rain fell in the Upstate on Monday.

​A flood warning was in effect until 7 p.m. Monday for parts of Greenville, Pickens, Spartanburg and Anderson counties, the weather service said. A flash flood watch was put into effect for Greenville and Anderson counties until 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Weather Service said. The Upper Pelzer Dam, which runs along the Greenville and Anderson county lines on the Saluda River, was being monitored because so much water was being released into a connected canal, the Weather Service said.

Reservoir owners were told by the state last week to lower water levels in anticipation of Monday’s storm that dumped more than 3 inches of rain at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

“If there is a dam downstream of your dam and you are lowering your water level, please call the owner of that dam and advise him or her about what you are doing,” Chuck Gorman, of DHEC’s dam safety program, said.

Monday’s rainfall was a record at the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The previous high was 1.58 inches of rain set in 1947.

The rain is expected to ease up overnight, with a chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday, said meteorologist Scott Krentz. “It should get generally better,” Krentz said. “We didn’t have a lot of streams coming out of their banks.”

All schools in Laurens County District 55 dismissed three hours early Monday because of concerns about rain levels and road conditions.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail access under the McDaniel Avenue bridge was closed due to flooding. The Reedy River was slightly above flood stage about noon Monday, the National Weather Service said. Huff Creek has overflowed West Georgia Road in Pelzer. There was also flooding off Woodside Avenue in Greenville.

The Upstate received a similar amount of rain Oct. 26-28, Krentz said, with 2.94 inches falling at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The recent rainfall pushed the annual rainfall total 1.45 inches above normal through Sunday.

The National Weather Service reminds drivers that most flood-related deaths occur in vehicles. Do not drive around barricades or into areas where water is covering the road. If you see flooded roads, report them to the National Weather Service or local authorities.

This story was originally published November 2, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Daily rain record set at Greenville-Spartanburg airport."