MEAN HIGH WATERFlooding in Charleston
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About
Mean High Water (MHW) is a project documenting the impacts of sea level rise & flooding in and beyond the South Carolina Lowcountry. The title is in reference to the MHW tidal datum defined and maintained by the NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Service.
The tides of Charleston Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean are increasingly encroaching into the natural and built environment of Charleston and the Lowcountry. The rate of increase in the number of coastal flood events is alarming. Approximately 53.3% of all coastal floods observed in Charleston Harbor from 1921 through 2022 have occurred since 2010. An average of 18.8 coastal floods occurred per year in the 1990s. In the 2010s, the annual average was 42.4 coastal floods2, an increase of over 200%.

MHW was started in 2020 by photographer and engineer Jared Bramblett. This is intended to be an evolving and collaborative documentation of the impacts of flooding. If you are interested in participating, please reach out.
 
Contact
Jared Bramblett
jaredbramblett@gmail.com

Disclaimer
All thoughts and opinions presented on this site are solely those of the author and are not necessarily those of any other organization.

All content presented on this site is copyrighted. To inquire about content usage, please submit a request.

© 2024 Jared Bramblett
 Tidal Flood Records & Statistics
Charleston Harbor, Cooper River Entrance1

Coastal Floods (>7-ft MLLW)2
  1. 89 (2019)
  2. 75 (2023)
  3. 70 (2022)
  4. 68 (2020)
  5. 58 (2015)

Major Coastal Floods (>8-ft MLLW)2
  1. 7 (2020)
  2. 6 (2023, 2015)
  3. 4 (2021, 2019)
  4. 3 (2022, 2018)
  5. 2 (2009, 1947)

Peak Tide Crests (ft, MLLW)3
  1. 12.52-ft 09/22/1989 (Hugo)
  2. 10.23-ft 08/11/1940
  3. 09.92-ft 09/11/2017 (Irma)
  4. 09.86-ft 12/17/2023 (Nor’easter)
  5. 09.29-ft 10/08/2016 (Matthew)

Statistics current as of 08/31/2023
Sea Level Rise Trend (1901-2022)1

Sea level trend of 1.13-ft per 100 years (1901-2022)

References
1 Tidal Benchmark Station - Charleston, Cooper River Entrance, SC - Station ID: 8665530

2 NWS Coastal Flood Event Database

3 Advanced Hydrologic Predictions Service, Charleston, SC
2022/12/22 Tidal Flooding
Peak Elevation: 8.31-ft MLLW (5.17-ft NAVD88)
Peak Time: 12:00 GMT (7:00AM EST)

Flood St. at Line St.
Flood St.
Line St.
Broad St.
Beaufain St.
Line St. at Harmon Field
Hagood Ave.
Line St.
Lockwood Dr.
Line St.
Broad St. at Lockwood Dr.
Line St.
Line St.
Hagood Ave.
Lockwood Dr.
Line St. at Hagood Ave.
Line St.
Flood St. at Line St.
Lockwood Dr.
Fishburne St. at Hagood Ave.
Broad St. at Lockwood Dr.
Fishburne St.
Fishburne St. at Harmon Field
Fishburne St. at Harmon Field
Line St.
Fishburne St. at Hagood Ave.
Line St.
Beaufain St.
Lockwood Dr.
Broad St. at Lockwood Dr.
Hagood Ave.
Line St.
Line St.
Flood St. at Line St.
Beaufain St.
Broad St.
Line St.
Hagood Ave.
Fishburne St. at Harmon Field