Congaree River at Columbia, SC
River level and flood forecast · Lexington County
The river is 8.4 ft below flood stage (19 ft).
Forecast to rise to 12.9 ft Tue 2 AM, below the 19 ft flood stage.
Flow: 27,300 cubic feet per second (USGS).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 9:50 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 30 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 24 ft |
| Flood stage | 19 ft |
| Action stage | 10 ft |
| Record crest (August 27, 1908) | 39.8 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 33 ftWater reaches the intersection of Fort Congaree Trail and Clovis Pointe Way.
- 29 ftThe eastern end of the Cayce Tennis Center parking lot begins to flood.
- 28 ftFlooding begins in low lying areas of the Riverland Park subdivision in Cayce.
- 24.5 ftThe Cayce Riverwalk Phase 4 access on Fort Congaree Trail is flooded.
- 24 ftFlooding also occurs in the Cayce Quarry.
- 23 ftGranby Landing Boat Ramp is completely covered in water.
- 19 ftExtensive swampland and large areas of farmland and pasture land downstream from Columbia become flooded.
- 18.5 ftWater reaches the bottom of West Columbia Amphitheater.
- 16 ftOld State Road below Cayce becomes flooded.
- 14 ftRoads in low lying areas and swampland downstream from Columbia become flooded. Most of the Cayce and West Columbia Riverwalk is flooded.
- 12.5 ftMost of the West Columbia Riverwalk between Gervais Street and SC 12 is underwater.
- 10 ftFlooding occurs on parts of the Cayce and West Columbia Riverwalk.
- 6.5 ftThe lowest parts of the West Columbia Riverwalk between Gervais Street and SC 12 begin to flood.
Highest crests on record
- 39.8 ft — August 27, 1908
- 35.5 ft — July 17, 1916
- 33.5 ft — August 18, 1928
- 33.34 ft — April 8, 1936
- 33.1 ft — October 3, 1929
Recent crests: 13.55 ft (February 15, 2025) · 11.46 ft (December 13, 2024) · 30.58 ft (September 30, 2024) · 13.24 ft (August 10, 2024) · 12.6 ft (March 3, 2024)
Up and down the river, and nearby
- UpstreamBroad River in NC/SC at Alston, SC
- Rocky Branch (SC) at Whaley Street, SC
- Rocky Branch (SC) at Pickens Street, SC
- Smith Branch (SC) at North Main St, SC
- Saluda River near Riverbanks Zoo, SC
- Broad River in NC/SC near Columbia, SC
- Pen Branch at Brentwood Dr, SC
- Gills Creek at US 76, SC
- Congaree River below Cayce, SC
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (COLS1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.