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Saluda River at Chappells

Highest listed crest 36.70 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft144 crests since 1905

The Saluda River at Chappells crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 144 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1905 to 2025. The highest, 36.70 ft on August 26, 1908, was major flooding, 22.70 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Saluda River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
36.70 ft
August 26, 1908
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 26.0 ft
Crests at major
9
9th of 79 gauges in South Carolina
Most recent flood crest
August 5, 2025
18.02 ft, minor flooding
Location
Saluda County
South Carolina

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Saluda River at Chappells
Action stage13.011Mar 27, 2020The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.064Aug 5, 2025Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage20.042Jan 11, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage26.09Sep 28, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

144 crests from 1905 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Saluda River at Chappells, 1905 to 2025 010203040ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 26.0 ft Dec 22, 1905: 18.60 ft, minor floodingOct 5, 1906: 13.30 ft, action stageAug 26, 1908: 36.70 ft, major floodingJun 5, 1909: 20.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 3, 1910: 17.60 ft, minor floodingOct 9, 1910: 12.20 ft, below flood stageMar 16, 1912: 25.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 1913: 22.00 ft, moderate floodingDec 31, 1913: 16.70 ft, minor floodingJan 8, 1915: 16.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 1916: 20.30 ft, moderate floodingMar 6, 1917: 19.00 ft, minor floodingAug 4, 1918: 17.00 ft, minor floodingOct 28, 1918: 22.60 ft, moderate floodingDec 12, 1919: 19.50 ft, minor floodingFeb 11, 1921: 22.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 17, 1922: 20.00 ft, moderate floodingMar 18, 1923: 18.80 ft, minor floodingJul 10, 1924: 16.80 ft, minor floodingJan 20, 1925: 20.50 ft, moderate floodingJan 20, 1926: 15.50 ft, minor floodingDec 30, 1926: 15.30 ft, minor floodingAug 17, 1928: 31.10 ft, major floodingSep 28, 1929: 32.20 ft, major floodingOct 2, 1929: 32.70 ft, major floodingApr 1, 1931: 12.49 ft, below flood stageJan 9, 1932: 20.51 ft, moderate floodingOct 19, 1932: 21.28 ft, moderate floodingJun 7, 1934: 20.94 ft, moderate floodingOct 12, 1934: 17.22 ft, minor floodingJan 5, 1937: 22.03 ft, moderate floodingOct 22, 1937: 20.91 ft, moderate floodingMar 1, 1939: 19.07 ft, minor floodingAug 14, 1940: 29.70 ft, major floodingJul 17, 1941: 14.96 ft, minor floodingMar 22, 1942: 22.82 ft, moderate floodingJan 29, 1943: 22.21 ft, moderate floodingSep 18, 1945: 13.52 ft, action stageJan 8, 1946: 22.30 ft, moderate floodingJan 21, 1947: 15.68 ft, minor floodingApr 1, 1948: 19.52 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1950: 12.46 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 1951: 12.39 ft, below flood stageMar 25, 1952: 24.68 ft, moderate floodingFeb 25, 1953: 13.70 ft, action stageJan 24, 1954: 13.57 ft, action stageApr 15, 1955: 13.78 ft, action stageApr 18, 1956: 18.79 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 1957: 12.48 ft, below flood stageNov 20, 1957: 19.14 ft, minor floodingJun 3, 1959: 12.28 ft, below flood stageFeb 14, 1960: 21.00 ft, moderate floodingFeb 26, 1961: 20.71 ft, moderate floodingJan 7, 1962: 17.64 ft, minor floodingMar 13, 1963: 22.78 ft, moderate floodingJun 16, 1965: 21.35 ft, moderate floodingMar 5, 1966: 21.41 ft, moderate floodingAug 26, 1967: 19.01 ft, minor floodingJan 11, 1968: 16.90 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 1969: 24.32 ft, moderate floodingMar 22, 1970: 13.02 ft, action stageMar 4, 1971: 22.51 ft, moderate floodingJun 22, 1972: 21.69 ft, moderate floodingApr 2, 1973: 22.75 ft, moderate floodingApr 5, 1974: 14.74 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1976: 19.03 ft, minor floodingFeb 26, 1979: 21.74 ft, moderate floodingOct 1, 1980: 18.06 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 1983: 15.72 ft, minor floodingFeb 7, 1985: 13.00 ft, action stageDec 1, 1985: 14.77 ft, minor floodingNov 21, 1986: 9.93 ft, below flood stageMar 3, 1987: 19.96 ft, minor floodingFeb 4, 1988: 10.31 ft, below flood stageJul 19, 1989: 15.81 ft, minor floodingOct 3, 1989: 21.32 ft, moderate floodingFeb 19, 1990: 23.08 ft, moderate floodingOct 13, 1990: 17.28 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1991: 14.76 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1992: 13.57 ft, action stageNov 27, 1992: 15.64 ft, minor floodingMar 28, 1993: 20.04 ft, moderate floodingAug 19, 1994: 20.06 ft, moderate floodingAug 28, 1995: 27.22 ft, major floodingFeb 3, 1996: 22.17 ft, moderate floodingMar 2, 1997: 17.20 ft, minor floodingFeb 5, 1998: 22.96 ft, moderate floodingFeb 1, 1999: 11.60 ft, below flood stageJan 24, 2001: 11.16 ft, below flood stageMar 30, 2001: 9.92 ft, below flood stageApr 1, 2002: 9.53 ft, below flood stageDec 24, 2002: 10.29 ft, below flood stageMar 7, 2003: 17.96 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2003: 23.00 ft, moderate floodingApr 11, 2003: 15.40 ft, minor floodingApr 19, 2003: 18.40 ft, minor floodingMay 23, 2003: 20.71 ft, moderate floodingJul 3, 2003: 16.88 ft, minor floodingSep 10, 2004: 20.19 ft, moderate floodingSep 16, 2004: 15.68 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 2004: 19.55 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 2005: 16.91 ft, minor floodingJun 2, 2005: 12.75 ft, below flood stageJul 9, 2005: 16.23 ft, minor floodingMar 3, 2007: 19.73 ft, minor floodingMar 8, 2008: 8.88 ft, below flood stageMar 29, 2009: 12.33 ft, below flood stage; 6,430 cubic feet per secondNov 13, 2009: 14.77 ft, minor flooding; 8,315 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2009: 15.48 ft, minor flooding; 8,935 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 2010: 18.20 ft, minor flooding; 11,892 cubic feet per secondFeb 6, 2010: 21.99 ft, moderate flooding; 20,000 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2013: 18.67 ft, minor flooding; 13,707 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2014: 15.10 ft, minor flooding; 9,600 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 2015: 26.49 ft, major flooding; 34,800 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2015: 26.23 ft, major flooding; 33,715 cubic feet per secondNov 16, 2018: 20.42 ft, moderate flooding; 16,722 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 2018: 16.27 ft, minor flooding; 10,748 cubic feet per secondDec 20, 2018: 13.51 ft, action stage; 8,029 cubic feet per secondDec 31, 2018: 14.52 ft, minor flooding; 8,982 cubic feet per secondJan 6, 2019: 20.03 ft, moderate flooding; 15,956 cubic feet per secondDec 23, 2019: 19.59 ft, minor flooding; 15,204 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2020: 13.26 ft, action stage; 7,765 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 2020: 24.43 ft, moderate flooding; 26,852 cubic feet per secondMar 27, 2020: 13.69 ft, action stage; 8,154 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 2020: 16.82 ft, minor flooding; 11,333 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2020: 20.97 ft, moderate flooding; 17,800 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2020: 14.57 ft, minor flooding; 9,180 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 2021: 14.36 ft, minor floodingOct 10, 2021: 19.88 ft, minor flooding; 15,694 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 2022: 15.93 ft, minor flooding; 10,315 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2022: 15.12 ft, minor flooding; 9,473 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2022: 10.83 ft, below flood stage; 5,604 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2023: 19.23 ft, minor flooding; 14,603 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 2023: 14.71 ft, minor flooding; 9,060 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2023: 15.24 ft, minor flooding; 9,595 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 2023: 18.12 ft, minor flooding; 12,892 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2023: 19.02 ft, minor flooding; 14,259 cubic feet per secondJan 11, 2024: 20.34 ft, moderate flooding; 16,544 cubic feet per secondFeb 13, 2024: 11.76 ft, below flood stage; 6,357 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2024: 14.44 ft, minor flooding; 8,812 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 26.94 ft, major flooding; 36,674 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 2025: 15.13 ft, minor flooding; 9,524 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2025: 18.82 ft, minor floodingAug 5, 2025: 18.02 ft, minor flooding Highest, 36.70 ft, Aug 26, 1908 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Saluda River at Chappells 1900s: 3 1910s: 10 1920s: 10 1930s: 7 1940s: 7 1950s: 3 1960s: 9 1970s: 6 1980s: 6 1990s: 10 2000s: 14 2010s: 11 2020s: 19 19 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 31.60 ft on Sep 1, 1888.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 144 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Saluda River at Chappells
1Aug 26, 190836.70+22.70Major—
2Oct 2, 192932.70+18.70Major—
3Sep 28, 192932.20+18.20Major—
4Aug 17, 192831.10+17.10Major—
5Aug 14, 194029.70+15.70Major—
6Aug 28, 199527.22+13.22Major—
7Sep 28, 202426.94+12.94Major36,674
8Oct 5, 201526.49+12.49Major34,800
9Dec 31, 201526.23+12.23Major33,715
10Mar 16, 191225.00+11.00Moderate—
11Mar 25, 195224.68+10.68Moderate—
12Feb 8, 202024.43+10.43Moderate26,852
13Apr 19, 196924.32+10.32Moderate—
14Feb 19, 199023.08+9.08Moderate—
15Mar 21, 200323.00+9.00Moderate—
16Feb 5, 199822.96+8.96Moderate—
17Mar 22, 194222.82+8.82Moderate—
18Mar 13, 196322.78+8.78Moderate—
19Apr 2, 197322.75+8.75Moderate—
20Oct 28, 191822.60+8.60Moderate—
21Mar 4, 197122.51+8.51Moderate—
22Feb 11, 192122.50+8.50Moderate—
23Jan 8, 194622.30+8.30Moderate—
24Jan 29, 194322.21+8.21Moderate—
25Feb 3, 199622.17+8.17Moderate—
26Jan 5, 193722.03+8.03Moderate—
27Mar 16, 191322.00+8.00Moderate—
28Feb 6, 201021.99+7.99Moderate20,000
29Feb 26, 197921.74+7.74Moderate—
30Jun 22, 197221.69+7.69Moderate—
31Mar 5, 196621.41+7.41Moderate—
32Jun 16, 196521.35+7.35Moderate—
33Oct 3, 198921.32+7.32Moderate—
34Oct 19, 193221.28+7.28Moderate—
35Feb 14, 196021.00+7.00Moderate—
36May 21, 202020.97+6.97Moderate17,800
37Jun 7, 193420.94+6.94Moderate—
38Oct 22, 193720.91+6.91Moderate—
39Feb 26, 196120.71+6.71Moderate—
40May 23, 200320.71+6.71Moderate—
41Jan 9, 193220.51+6.51Moderate—
42Jun 5, 190920.50+6.50Moderate—
43Jan 20, 192520.50+6.50Moderate—
44Nov 16, 201820.42+6.42Moderate16,722
45Jan 11, 202420.34+6.34Moderate16,544
46Feb 4, 191620.30+6.30Moderate—
47Sep 10, 200420.19+6.19Moderate—
48Aug 19, 199420.06+6.06Moderate—
49Mar 28, 199320.04+6.04Moderate—
50Jan 6, 201920.03+6.03Moderate15,956

The worst floods along the Saluda River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Saluda River that crested above flood stage within a week.

August 26, 1908: 36.70 ft here, major flooding

  • West PelzerSC · Aug 25, 1908 · 25.60 ft · Major · its highest

August 17, 1928: 31.10 ft here, major flooding

August 14, 1940: 29.70 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Saluda River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Saluda River
Old Easley Hwy (SC 124), 5 WSW GreenvilleSC9.520.26 ft, Sep 28, 20248
Chappells this gaugeSC14.036.70 ft, Aug 26, 19089
Saluda Lake DamSC103.0104.05 ft, Feb 7, 20200
West PelzerSC12.025.60 ft, Aug 25, 19081

Other gauges in Saluda County

Flood gauges in Saluda County
Saluda15.023.07 ft, Oct 4, 20150

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHAS1, 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.