Sports Bar in Downtown Charleston, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood warning for Charleston and coastal Colleton Counties ahead of Saturday night’s high tide and additional showers that moved in from offshore.

High tide occurred at approximately 9:04 p.m., but saltwater inundation was possible for up to two hours after that. The coastal flood warning was set to expire at midnight.

Live 5 First Alert Meteorologist Lexie Horvath said the Charleston area recorded more than 10 inches of rain over the past 24 hours and more rain moved in offshore late Saturday night.

That meant already flooded areas could have gotten even worse, something that concerns residents like Omar Santiago.

“We’re walking around, you know, the water’s right up basically to our knees. It’s insane,” he said. “I felt like I was back home in Puerto Rico, like, it was crazy.”

Rising water from two days of rainfall that exceeded 10 inches in the Charleston area prompted multiple road closures.

“In my 35 years of life, this is the worst flooding I’ve ever seen,” Santiago said. “It’s just unbelievable.”

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Torrential rain, coastal flooding and water running off the Interstate 26 overpass in downtown Charleston on Saturday left Poplar Street a wet, muddy mess.

Regina Duggins’ mother lives at the end of the street where the flooding was the worst. She says she worries about her mother and other elderly residents living in the area. She says for more than 20 hours her mother’s house was surrounded by water, making it difficult for her to leave or others to get to her.

“If there was an emergency, there’s no way to get in and out,” Duggins said. “This is deplorable.”

Duggins says normally water recedes quickly, but this time it stayed around much longer than usual. She blames clogged storm drains and has contacted city officials to get them cleaned.

For now, Duggins is happy the water has receded, but she still has concerns for the future.

“I do feel a sense of relief, but at the same time, I don’t know what to expect due to the fact that it is supposed to rain some more this evening and possibly tomorrow, but this was not even a hurricane, and we’re still in hurricane season until mid-November, so I don’t know what to expect,” Duggins said.

A flood watch will remain in effect for most Lowcountry counties until 2 a.m. Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of residents in Charleston, South Carolina, were urged to "act now" after National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issued urgent flash flood warnings for the area amid slow-moving thunderstorms and torrential rainfall.

Why It Matters

Flooding is the second deadliest weather hazard in the United States, behind extreme heat. The current storms in South Carolina come just after Hurricane Erin brought dangerous waves and life-threatening rip currents to the entire Eastern Seaboard earlier this week, although the ongoing storms aren't related to the hurricane, NWS meteorologist Alex Trellinger told Newsweek.

What to Know

NWS Charleston issued flash flood warnings across multiple media platforms on Friday, urging people in Downtown Charleston to move vehicles to higher ground and warning that floodwaters could enter homes.

"ALERT: If you are in Downtown Charleston, consider moving to your car to higher ground now," NWS Charleston posted on X on Friday afternoon. "The risk for flash flooding will increase rapidly very soon. Expect road closures to occur. Water may also enter homes, businesses and properties. Act now."

As of 1:22 p.m. local time, over 40 roads were closed in Downtown Charleston because of flooding. Roads are also closed in Mount Pleasant and North Charleston.

The slow-moving thunderstorms stretched from North Charleston and Daniel Island south to Rockville and Kiawah Island. As much as 3 inches of rain has been reported in the area, with an additional 1 to 2 inches possible this afternoon.

"Flash flooding is ongoing in many areas and will continue. A new daily rainfall record has already been set at the Charleston International Airport," NWS Charleston said in a flash flood warning.

As of 12:39 p.m. local time, the airport reported 2.95 inches of rain, which "smashes" the previous daily rainfall record for August 22, which was 1.58 inches set in 2008, NWS Charleston said in a post on X.

An additional .02 inches of rain has fallen at the airport since the post was made.

"Additional rainfall is likely," NWS Charleston posted on X.

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What People Are Saying

NWS Charleston, in a flash flood warning: "At 109 PM EDT, emergency management officials reported a number of flooded and closed roads in the Mount Pleasant area. Radar shows thunderstorms with torrential rainfall continuing to impact Mount Pleasant, Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island. An additional 1 to 2 inches could fall through 230 PM. The risk for additional flash flooding continues."

Charleston Water, on X: "Avoid flood water! Stormwater contains high levels of bacteria, whether or not wastewater is involved."

Fox 24 reporter Bill Burr, on X: "Swollen creeks and ponds in Shadowmoss Plantation are leading to flooded roads. A late morning storm dumped copious amounts of rain in a short period of time."

What Happens Next

The flash flood warning was originally set to expire at 1:15 p.m. ET, but has since been extended to 2:30 p.m.

Different forms of artistic expression converge every year at MOJA Arts Festival, an 11-day festival honoring African American and Caribbean culture with performances and gatherings scattered across downtown Charleston.

For its 41st year, MOJA returns Sept. 25 through Oct. 5 with nearly 30 events spanning visual art, live music, dance, theater and storytelling. This year’s lineup blends well-loved traditions — including the opening day street parade and the grand finale in Hampton Park — with new experiences such as Step Afrika! dance troupe and a haunting play entitled “Covenant.”

The Eastside Neighborhood Celebration on Sept. 27 promises a family-friendly day in Hampstead Square with artisans, food trucks, drumming, dance and music by guitarist Greg Loney.

The Oct. 1 Downtown Block Party will transform Ann Street and the Bus Shed into a community hub filled with vendors, food and a musical tribute to Black icons by Charleston-born vocalist Tommy Brown.

Brown presented a tribute to the late Frankie Beverly last year at MOJA, and he is back this year to honor Black icons who have passed away in 2025, including iconic soul singer Jerry Butler; Roy Ayers, the “Godfather of Neo Soul”; Grammy-winning singer and pianist Robert Flack; South Carolina rapper and songwriter Angie Stone; and the legendary multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone.

“We have a wide range of music, from Angie’s R&B vibe and Sly’s funky vibe to Jerry’s soul vibe,” Brown said. “We are going to put all that together and make it match my vibe. We want people dancing, and we also want to pay respect to these artists who have passed. We are going to give the block party on Ann Street what we gave it last year, which is a really good time.”

On Oct. 3, The Gullah Collective will showcase the deep roots of Gullah art and music at the Dock Street Theatre. The festivities then draw to a close on Oct. 5 with a free grand finale concert in Hampton Park featuring Live in the Flesh.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The owner of a building on Meeting Street in downtown Charleston that houses three businesses has asked the city’s architecture review board for permission to demolish the structure fully.

280 Meeting Street houses three shops: The Bicycle Shoppe, 319 Men and Theatre 99. Tenants of the building declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publishing.

The building was constructed in parts, with the principal structure in the 1910s, a one-story showroom addition in 1951 and a rear accessory structure in 1952.

Anna Catherine Alexander, Director of Advocacy at the Preservation Society of Charleston, says in recent years, the board has entertained numerous requests for demolition on mid-century buildings in particular.

“This building at 280 Meeting Street has a really unique and kind of evolving history where the oldest part of the building dates to the early 20th century, and then the one-story showroom portion of the building dates to the 1950s. We’ve got a variety of architectural periods represented,” Alexander says.

The review committee is accepting online public comment through Sept. 9 at 12 p.m.

The committee will visit the site on Tuesday ahead of its Wednesday meeting. As of Thursday, the agenda item had received more than 200 online comments.

“We think that speaks volumes about the need to preserve this space, not only as a representation of its time, but for all of the continued uses that can continue to occupy this space. Adaptive reuse is critically important as we think about the evolution of our city and these buildings were built to serve multiple functions over time. This building has many lives left ahead of it,” Alexander says.

The demolition request does not specify any reasoning for the demo or propose what the space could be used for if it is granted. The owner is listed as W.E. Applegate III of 280 Meeting Street Associates LLC and the applicant for the work is listed as Eddie Bello of Bello Garris Architects.

Historians say in a city of history that often dates back hundreds of years, a building like this may not seem old, but its contribution to the city’s recent life and story should be taken into account.

“It’s important that Charleston’s architecture tells a full story of the periods of development and the people who have called this place home, who have occupied these businesses. 280 Meeting Street is an important representation of early and mid-20th-century development. It’s been an incubator for locally owned businesses, and clearly has been demonstrated through the community input. It’s a place that really matters to people,” Alexander says.

Contextually, a neighboring one-story office at 284 Meeting Street was approved for demo in 2024. A condo complex is now being built on the property next door. Alexander encourages people interested in providing a comment online or to consider attending the meeting.

“A space for small businesses, a space for arts and culture to continue to thrive on Meeting Street - all of this is at risk if this building is lost. And we really hope that the Board of Architectural Review will hear it loud and clear that this is a space the community values and should be protected,” Alexander says.