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Broad River in NC/SC at Alston

Highest listed crest 29.48 ftFlood stage 20.0 ft66 crests since 1897

The Broad River in NC/SC at Alston crested above flood stage 19 times among the 66 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1897 to 2025. The highest, 29.48 ft on September 30, 2024, was moderate flooding, 9.48 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Broad River in NC/SC crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
29.48 ft
September 30, 2024; 131,709 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
20.0 ft
Major flooding from 30.0 ft
Crests at major
0
19 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
September 30, 2024
29.48 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Fairfield County
Near Irmo (12.0 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Broad River in NC/SC at Alston
Action stage11.547Feb 14, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)20.012Jan 11, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.07Sep 30, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage30.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

66 crests from 1897 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Broad River in NC/SC at Alston, 1897 to 2025 1015202530ft Flood stage 20.0 ftMajor 30.0 ft Feb 7, 1897: 22.13 ft, minor flooding; 85,800 cubic feet per secondSep 24, 1898: 14.80 ft, action stage; 40,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1899: 18.30 ft, action stage; 67,700 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 1899: 18.30 ft, action stageApr 22, 1900: 23.40 ft, minor flooding; 95,100 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1901: 24.80 ft, minor flooding; 106,000 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 1901: 24.70 ft, minor flooding; 105,000 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1903: 29.02 ft, moderate flooding; 140,000 cubic feet per secondAug 29, 1904: 14.00 ft, action stage; 36,800 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1905: 16.60 ft, action stage; 50,000 cubic feet per secondDec 21, 1905: 19.40 ft, action stage; 67,900 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1907: 12.50 ft, action stage; 30,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1981: 16.70 ft, action stage; 44,500 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1982: 19.95 ft, action stage; 59,400 cubic feet per secondMar 18, 1983: 16.78 ft, action stage; 44,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1984: 18.85 ft, action stage; 54,100 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1985: 25.90 ft, moderate floodingAug 19, 1985: 17.39 ft, action stage; 47,500 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1985: 17.28 ft, action stage; 47,000 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 1987: 25.90 ft, moderate flooding; 108,000 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1988: 12.36 ft, action stage; 27,100 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1989: 16.25 ft, action stage; 42,600 cubic feet per secondOct 3, 1989: 22.71 ft, minor flooding; 79,500 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 1990: 26.87 ft, moderate floodingOct 14, 1990: 26.94 ft, moderate flooding; 119,000 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1992: 15.58 ft, action stage; 39,800 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1992: 16.51 ft, action stageMar 26, 1993: 18.42 ft, action stage; 52,100 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 1994: 18.42 ft, action stage; 52,100 cubic feet per secondAug 30, 1995: 24.91 ft, minor flooding; 99,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1996: 19.17 ft, action stage; 55,600 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1997: 14.83 ft, action stageApr 28, 1997: 15.27 ft, action stage; 38,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1998: 20.36 ft, minor flooding; 61,900 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1999: 13.08 ft, action stage; 29,800 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2000: 15.64 ft, action stage; 40,100 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 2001: 14.18 ft, action stage; 34,100 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2002: 12.01 ft, action stage; 25,800 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2003: 24.67 ft, minor flooding; 96,600 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 2004: 24.37 ft, minor flooding; 93,600 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2005: 17.27 ft, action stage; 47,000 cubic feet per secondOct 8, 2005: 17.99 ft, action stage; 50,200 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 2007: 19.89 ft, action stage; 59,100 cubic feet per secondAug 27, 2008: 15.40 ft, action stage; 38,800 cubic feet per secondMar 3, 2009: 15.74 ft, action stage; 40,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 7, 2010: 20.79 ft, minor flooding; 64,600 cubic feet per secondOct 4, 2015: 22.16 ft, minor flooding; 73,200 cubic feet per secondOct 12, 2018: 18.04 ft, action stage; 50,390 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 27.99 ft, moderate flooding; 120,615 cubic feet per secondDec 17, 2022: 13.67 ft, action stage; 33,659 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 2022: 13.58 ft, action stage; 33,250 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2023: 15.90 ft, action stage; 44,387 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2023: 13.52 ft, action stage; 32,978 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2023: 13.75 ft, action stage; 34,024 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 2023: 18.75 ft, action stage; 59,708 cubic feet per secondJun 24, 2023: 11.87 ft, action stage; 25,863 cubic feet per secondDec 28, 2023: 15.86 ft, action stage; 44,184 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 24.93 ft, minor flooding; 98,651 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2024: 13.64 ft, action stage; 33,522 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 2024: 12.26 ft, action stage; 27,485 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2024: 13.64 ft, action stage; 33,524 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 2024: 13.38 ft, action stage; 32,350 cubic feet per secondAug 9, 2024: 14.57 ft, action stage; 37,851 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2024: 29.48 ft, moderate flooding; 131,709 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 2024: 11.71 ft, action stage; 25,208 cubic feet per secondFeb 14, 2025: 14.81 ft, action stage; 39,000 cubic feet per second Highest, 29.48 ft, Sep 30, 2024 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Broad River in NC/SC at Alston 1890s: 1 1900s: 4 4 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 3 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 2020s: 3 1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 66 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Broad River in NC/SC at Alston
1Sep 30, 202429.48+9.48Moderate131,709
2Jun 7, 190329.02+9.02Moderate140,000
3Feb 8, 202027.99+7.99Moderate120,615
4Oct 14, 199026.94+6.94Moderate119,000
5Oct 5, 199026.87+6.87Moderate—
6Mar 3, 198525.90+5.90Moderate—
7Mar 3, 198725.90+5.90Moderate108,000
8Jan 11, 202424.93+4.93Minor98,651
9Aug 30, 199524.91+4.91Minor99,100
10May 23, 190124.80+4.80Minor106,000
11Dec 31, 190124.70+4.70Minor105,000
12Mar 22, 200324.67+4.67Minor96,600
13Sep 10, 200424.37+4.37Minor93,600
14Apr 22, 190023.40+3.40Minor95,100
15Oct 3, 198922.71+2.71Minor79,500
16Oct 4, 201522.16+2.16Minor73,200
17Feb 7, 189722.13+2.13Minor85,800
18Feb 7, 201020.79+0.79Minor64,600
19Feb 5, 199820.36+0.36Minor61,900
20Jan 5, 198219.95−0.05Action59,400
21Mar 4, 200719.89−0.11Action59,100
22Dec 21, 190519.40−0.60Action67,900
23Feb 4, 199619.17−0.83Action55,600
24Feb 16, 198418.85−1.15Action54,100
25Apr 30, 202318.75−1.25Action59,708
26Mar 26, 199318.42−1.58Action52,100
27Aug 19, 199418.42−1.58Action52,100
28Feb 8, 189918.30−1.70Action67,700
29Feb 28, 189918.30−1.70Action—
30Oct 12, 201818.04−1.96Action50,390
31Oct 8, 200517.99−2.01Action50,200
32Aug 19, 198517.39−2.61Action47,500
33Nov 23, 198517.28−2.72Action47,000
34Mar 29, 200517.27−2.73Action47,000
35Mar 18, 198316.78−3.22Action44,900
36Feb 12, 198116.70−3.30Action44,500
37Feb 21, 190516.60−3.40Action50,000
38Nov 28, 199216.51−3.49Action—
39Mar 24, 198916.25−3.75Action42,600
40Jan 6, 202315.90−4.10Action44,387
41Dec 28, 202315.86−4.14Action44,184
42Mar 3, 200915.74−4.26Action40,500
43Mar 21, 200015.64−4.36Action40,100
44Apr 23, 199215.58−4.42Action39,800
45Aug 27, 200815.40−4.60Action38,800
46Apr 28, 199715.27−4.73Action38,500
47Mar 2, 199714.83−5.17Action—
48Feb 14, 202514.81−5.19Action39,000
49Sep 24, 189814.80−5.20Action40,500
50Aug 9, 202414.57−5.43Action37,851

The worst floods along the Broad River in NC/SC

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC that crested above flood stage within a week.

September 30, 2024: 29.48 ft here, moderate flooding

February 8, 2020: 27.99 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Broad River in NC/SC
GaffneySC16.019.80 ft, Aug 14, 19400
Ninety Nine Islands DamSC108.0108.41 ft, Sep 28, 20240
Neal Shoals ReservoirSC340.0340.91 ft, Feb 8, 20200
CARLISLESC30.031.51 ft, Oct 10, 19760
Alston this gaugeSC20.029.48 ft, Sep 30, 20240

Other gauges in Fairfield County

Flood gauges in Fairfield County
Cedar Creek Reservoir/Rocky Ck-Cedar Ck Dam102.0106.62 ft, Sep 29, 20242

Fairfield County: every hazard · River floods across the country · South Carolina

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge ALTS1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.