Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms hit Downtown Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms hit downtown Charleston late Monday afternoon, causing dozens of roads to flood.

“It was obviously raining and thundering and lighting all around us and then this one hit really, really hard and it was just like a loud ‘kabow,’” Regan Knight told News 2.

The loud noise heard by Knight and her coworkers at the Matador was a lightning strike nearby on Hasell Street. Bricks from the damaged chimney were scattered on the road below, prompting Charleston Police to close it to traffic.

“It was scary for sure, but we were inside so, I was like alright we’re inside, we’re covered, we’re good. But it was definitely like a shock for it to be like that close to us,” Knight shared.

High flood waters surrounded the Charleston City Market where vendors packed up for the night earlier than usual. The water was to blame for over 40 road closures within the city. Once the rain stopped and the flooding receded in most places, crews were busy pumping it out in areas like Barre Street.

“We’ve been working on trying to be better prepared for these sort of events which are occurring, unfortunately, more and more frequently,” said Charleston Mayor William Cogswell.

The city was operating under the mayor’s “Active Flooding Mitigation Plan,” which consists of several preventative measures and protocols ahead of time.

Parking garages were open for free, police blocked off vulnerable roads, and city staff deployed pumps in an effort to keep the Holy City safe.

“It can be extremely dangerous and something to take very seriously. We are certainly looking at long term solutions to this, but in the short term we need to be diligent, we need to be safe,” the mayor added. “We need to make sure that people take this very seriously, and that goes for visitors alike.”

To keep up with the latest road closures, click here.