Call it stormy Monday. And Tuesday may be just as bad. The Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities recorded less than a third of an inch of rainfall up to midnight Sunday, but Monday morning brought lots of precipitation. DPU measured 1.88 inches from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

And meteorologists are saying thunderstorms will continue for most of the week. Tuesday's forecast puts the chance of rain at 80 percent.

Emergency personnel weathered a few incidents related to the rain early Monday.

"We have had the one storm front up in the northwest part of the county around 8:20 this morning," Orangeburg Emergency Preparedness Director John Smith said. "We also had a tree down on Highway 70."

North Mayor Bruce Buckheister said the storm that hit early Monday resulted in a minor flash flood, which quickly dissipated.

Around 8:30 a.m., water draining from a nearby field rushed over a portion of US. 178 on the eastern side of town.

"We had a highway flooded toward the end of town," he said. "Apparently, it drained quickly, and everything was OK."

Officials were earlier alerted to the potential dangers in the severe thunderstorm when a tractor-trailer carrying a flammable material slid into a ditch near Holly Hill.

At approximately 7 a.m., the tanker slid into a ditch on Byron Road near Highway 453. Placards on the disabled vehicle had officials concerned.

"The tanker was placarded with Number 1993, which is a flammable liquid, acetone zylene," S.C. Highway Patrol Lt. George Jones said. "I think the truck slipped on the wet road. The driver was taken to (the hospital in) Orangeburg."

Smith said the tanker was carrying 5,500 gallons of the flammable paint byproduct. For safety reasons, a second tanker was brought in to accept the chemical as it was siphoned out of the first truck.

Smith said, however, the siphoning process was hampered by another front that flashed across the area.

"The transfer was held up by a lightning storm," he said. "Being as flammable as it is, you don't want to be vacuuming that stuff out with all that lightning. They were held up for quite a while."

Jones and Smith confirm none of the chemical was spilled.

Calhoun County officials say they remain on alert after having received a flash flood warning advisory from the National Weather Service.

"The only thing we've got so far weather-wise is the flood warning," Calhoun County EMS paramedic Howard Riley said. "That's all we've gotten."

Rescue crews from Lexington joined those of Calhoun County Sunday afternoon when an 18-car pileup along Interstate 26 in Calhoun County caused just four minor injuries.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol said a series of collisions resulted from a combination of rainy weather, cars following too closely and drivers rubbernecking the accident scenes.

Calhoun County EMS personnel said a truck driver is believed to have prevented further injury to others when she ditched her rig in the median.

Meanwhile, Bamberg motorists traveling at night are advised to use extreme caution this week. A water-covered road is more difficult to see, Bamberg County EMS Operations Manager Martha Hammett said.

"We've got water going across the street right here in front of the office," Hammett said. "We've got some street flooding down here right now. People just need to be extremely careful in this weather."

Following the deluges Sunday and Monday and with rain predicted through much of the week, officials are hoping there won't be a repeat of the flooded conditions of last month.

Three weeks ago, during a similar rain, a Connecticut couple had to be pulled from their vehicle after nearby ponds overflowed their banks and put U.S. Highway 301 under 4 feet of water.

"Anyone that has dams and everything should make sure they are working. Today would be the day to check them," Smith said. "We should remind people not to drive through any flooded areas as you don't know what is under there. The bridge may be out and so forth."

Law enforcement is monitoring road conditions. "Some of the secondary roads we're keeping an eye on and some area ponds can overflow," Jones said. "We ask that people slow down and drive with their headlights on. We're going to monitor the weather reports so we can let the public know what to watch for."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

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