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Saluda River at West Pelzer

Highest listed crest 25.60 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft66 crests since 1908

The Saluda River at West Pelzer crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 66 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1908 to 2024. The highest, 25.60 ft on August 25, 1908, was major flooding, 13.60 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
25.60 ft
August 25, 1908
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
1
29th of 79 gauges in South Carolina
Most recent flood crest
September 28, 2024
16.94 ft, moderate flooding
Location
Greenville County
Near Simpsonville (12.7 mi), Mauldin (12.7 mi), Anderson (13.7 mi)
Identifiers
NWS WEPS1
No USGS station

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 West Pelzer
Action stage11.09Jan 26, 1978The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.025Feb 7, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.03Sep 28, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Aug 25, 1908Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

66 crests from 1908 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Saluda River at West Pelzer, 1908 to 2024 0102030ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Aug 25, 1908: 25.60 ft, major floodingJul 17, 1916: 14.00 ft, minor floodingOct 22, 1918: 18.00 ft, moderate floodingDec 10, 1919: 14.00 ft, minor floodingSep 29, 1923: 11.90 ft, action stageAug 17, 1928: 18.00 ft, moderate floodingOct 2, 1929: 11.60 ft, action stageOct 15, 1932: 11.00 ft, action stageApr 7, 1936: 15.00 ft, minor floodingSep 18, 1937: 14.00 ft, minor floodingAug 20, 1939: 10.80 ft, below flood stageAug 20, 1940: 14.00 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 1940: 15.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 18, 1942: 11.00 ft, action stageJan 28, 1943: 11.00 ft, action stageJan 8, 1946: 13.20 ft, minor floodingNov 29, 1948: 12.30 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 1949: 15.00 ft, minor floodingDec 22, 1951: 11.50 ft, action stageMar 24, 1952: 12.50 ft, minor floodingDec 24, 1954: 14.00 ft, minor floodingDec 12, 1961: 13.00 ft, minor floodingFeb 6, 1963: 12.90 ft, minor floodingApr 8, 1964: 13.00 ft, minor floodingAug 25, 1967: 11.50 ft, action stageMar 13, 1968: 8.80 ft, below flood stageApr 18, 1969: 12.70 ft, minor floodingAug 9, 1970: 7.20 ft, below flood stageDec 8, 1971: 9.80 ft, below flood stageJul 21, 1972: 10.30 ft, below flood stageMay 29, 1973: 11.80 ft, action stageJan 1, 1974: 10.70 ft, below flood stageMar 14, 1975: 12.40 ft, minor floodingOct 8, 1976: 12.00 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1977: 12.80 ft, minor floodingJan 26, 1978: 11.00 ft, action stageApr 14, 1979: 10.70 ft, below flood stageApr 15, 1980: 10.00 ft, below flood stageFeb 12, 1981: 5.70 ft, below flood stageJan 4, 1982: 10.50 ft, below flood stageDec 3, 1983: 10.00 ft, below flood stageMay 4, 1984: 9.60 ft, below flood stageAug 18, 1985: 8.80 ft, below flood stageOct 27, 1986: 6.61 ft, below flood stageMar 1, 1987: 12.50 ft, minor floodingJan 22, 1988: 4.60 ft, below flood stageOct 2, 1989: 4.60 ft, below flood stageAug 27, 1995: 13.59 ft, minor floodingOct 6, 1995: 9.50 ft, below flood stageJan 27, 1996: 10.00 ft, below flood stageMar 9, 1996: 10.00 ft, below flood stageMar 1, 1997: 9.30 ft, below flood stageJan 8, 1998: 12.28 ft, minor floodingMar 20, 2003: 12.40 ft, minor floodingMay 22, 2003: 10.16 ft, below flood stageSep 9, 2004: 12.18 ft, minor flooding; 5,724 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 2005: 9.44 ft, below flood stageJun 29, 2005: 8.40 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 2005: 12.22 ft, minor flooding; 5,774 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 2009: 8.97 ft, below flood stageJan 18, 2013: 9.62 ft, below flood stageMay 6, 2013: 8.66 ft, below flood stageOct 4, 2015: 8.50 ft, below flood stageNov 3, 2015: 8.67 ft, below flood stageFeb 7, 2020: 13.36 ft, minor flooding; 12,269 cubic feet per secondSep 28, 2024: 16.94 ft, moderate flooding Highest, 25.60 ft, Aug 25, 1908 192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Saluda River at West Pelzer 1900s: 1 1910s: 3 1920s: 1 1930s: 2 1940s: 5 5 1950s: 2 1960s: 4 1970s: 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 0 2020s: 2 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.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 66 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Saluda River at West Pelzer
1Aug 25, 190825.60+13.60Major—
2Oct 22, 191818.00+6.00Moderate—
3Aug 17, 192818.00+6.00Moderate—
4Sep 28, 202416.94+4.94Moderate—
5Apr 7, 193615.00+3.00Minor—
6Oct 8, 194015.00+3.00Minor—
7Oct 8, 194915.00+3.00Minor—
8Jul 17, 191614.00+2.00Minor—
9Dec 10, 191914.00+2.00Minor—
10Sep 18, 193714.00+2.00Minor—
11Aug 20, 194014.00+2.00Minor—
12Dec 24, 195414.00+2.00Minor—
13Aug 27, 199513.59+1.59Minor—
14Feb 7, 202013.36+1.36Minor12,269
15Jan 8, 194613.20+1.20Minor—
16Dec 12, 196113.00+1.00Minor—
17Apr 8, 196413.00+1.00Minor—
18Feb 6, 196312.90+0.90Minor—
19Mar 31, 197712.80+0.80Minor—
20Apr 18, 196912.70+0.70Minor—
21Mar 24, 195212.50+0.50Minor—
22Mar 1, 198712.50+0.50Minor—
23Mar 14, 197512.40+0.40Minor—
24Mar 20, 200312.40+0.40Minor—
25Nov 29, 194812.30+0.30Minor—
26Jan 8, 199812.28+0.28Minor—
27Jul 8, 200512.22+0.22Minor5,774
28Sep 9, 200412.18+0.18Minor5,724
29Oct 8, 197612.000.00Minor—
30Sep 29, 192311.90−0.10Action—
31May 29, 197311.80−0.20Action—
32Oct 2, 192911.60−0.40Action—
33Dec 22, 195111.50−0.50Action—
34Aug 25, 196711.50−0.50Action—
35Oct 15, 193211.00−1.00Action—
36Feb 18, 194211.00−1.00Action—
37Jan 28, 194311.00−1.00Action—
38Jan 26, 197811.00−1.00Action—
39Aug 20, 193910.80−1.20Below flood stage—
40Jan 1, 197410.70−1.30Below flood stage—
41Apr 14, 197910.70−1.30Below flood stage—
42Jan 4, 198210.50−1.50Below flood stage—
43Jul 21, 197210.30−1.70Below flood stage—
44May 22, 200310.16−1.84Below flood stage—
45Apr 15, 198010.00−2.00Below flood stage—
46Dec 3, 198310.00−2.00Below flood stage—
47Jan 27, 199610.00−2.00Below flood stage—
48Mar 9, 199610.00−2.00Below flood stage—
49Dec 8, 19719.80−2.20Below flood stage—
50Jan 18, 20139.62−2.38Below flood stage—

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 25, 1908: 25.60 ft here, major flooding

  • ChappellsSC · Aug 26, 1908 · 36.70 ft · Major · its highest

October 22, 1918: 18.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChappellsSC · Oct 28, 1918 · 22.60 ft · Moderate

August 17, 1928: 18.00 ft here, moderate flooding

  • ChappellsSC · Aug 17, 1928 · 31.10 ft · Major

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
ChappellsSC14.036.70 ft, Aug 26, 19089
Saluda Lake DamSC103.0104.05 ft, Feb 7, 20200
West Pelzer this gaugeSC12.025.60 ft, Aug 25, 19081

Other gauges in Greenville County

Flood gauges in Greenville County
Old Spartanburg Rd10.014.10 ft, Aug 27, 19950
Pelham14.022.98 ft, Aug 27, 19951
E Georgia Rd.14.216.83 ft, Feb 7, 20200
Holland Rd9.513.29 ft, Jul 9, 20130
Cleveland9.511.21 ft, Jun 11, 19860
Highway 1112.012.71 ft, Feb 6, 20200
Hudson St.11.013.62 ft, Feb 7, 20200
Westfield St10.021.40 ft, Aug 25, 19082
Highway 41820.023.06 ft, Feb 7, 20200
Old Easley Hwy (SC 124), 5 WSW Greenville9.520.26 ft, Sep 28, 20248
Saluda Lake Dam103.0104.05 ft, Feb 7, 20200
Cleveland9.09.58 ft, Sep 8, 20040

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WEPS1, 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.