BlockBefore

Pontiac, South Carolina

23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1935 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Pontiac census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29045. The Survey maps it on the Elgin quadrangle.

Pontiac within Richland County

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 surveys from 23 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

251 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 251 fires within 5 miles of Pontiac between 1992 and 2019, burning about 843 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 26 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined112
Debris and open burning54
Misuse of fire by a minor36
Arson/incendiarism26
Smoking13
Equipment and vehicle use3
Recreation and ceremony3
Natural2
Other causes1
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2016Misuse of fire by a minor3.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
9 September 1997Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
27 September 2007Equipment and vehicle use10 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
26 September 2017Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 1999Debris and open burning3.5 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 September 1997Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
18 September 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
16 September 2005Smokingunder an acreSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Richland County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 12 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 12 workings within 5 miles of Pontiac: 6 past producers, 4 unknowns, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Loveless & Loveless Plant #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Pontiac Sand MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Sand PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Trip Construction Co. Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducerSedimentary
Trip PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Coleman MineClayUnknownSedimentary
Coleman MineClayPast Producer
Duncan Lakes MineClayUnknownSedimentary
Kershaw County MinesClayProducer
Pontiac MillClayPast Producer

Every working recorded in Richland County

Storms near this place

29 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pontiac in 29 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 11 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2013Thunderstorm WindPontiac$8,000Sheriff reported trees down on Screaming Eagle Road near Melton Road.
February 1997Thunderstorm WindPontiac$5,000no account filed
September 2014Thunderstorm WindPontiac$3,000SC Highway Patrol reported trees down at Jacobs Millpond Road and Sandy Oaks Road.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindPontiac$3,000Sheriff reported a couple of trees down on Two Notch and Bookman roads.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindPontiac$2,000SC Highway Patrol reported trees down on Bookman Road past Kelly Mill Road.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindPontiac$2,000Public reported trees down along I-20 near the Richland and Kershaw County line.
August 2014Heavy RainPontiac$1,000SCHP reported road flooding on Two Notch road east of Clemson road.
July 2018LightningPontiac$100According to reports from the media, and from Fort Jackson Public Affairs, a lightning strike occurred in the NE portion of the post around 1600 EDT (1500 EST) about 50 meters away from a group of soldiers that were under a lightning-safe structure. 15 soldiers were transported to a local hospital as a precaution and were released that evening. There were no injuries.
July 2017Heavy RainPontiac$100RCWINDS gage at Screaming Eagle Rd measured 2.72 inches of rain in a 2 hour period ending at 5:35 pm EDT (4:35 pm EST).
July 2017FloodPontiac$100Minor street flooding on Spears Creek Church Rd and Two Notch Rd, and on Two Notch Rd near entrance to Sesquicentennial State Park.
January 2024Tornado (EF1)Pontiac-A National Weather Service storm survey team confirmed a brief EF-1 tornado, with|peak winds of 90 mph, in northeast Richland County near Pontiac. The tornado began|in a wooded area southwest of Kelly Mill Road and to the east of Bridge Creek where it|snapped and uprooted numerous softwood trees. It also snapped off the top of a power |pole and peeled back a portion of the tin roof of a shed. The tornado then crossed Kelly|Mill Road and continued northeast where it snapped and uprooted additional trees near|a home and then the tornado continued into an inaccessible wooded area. The last|visible damage appears to be a snapped tree at the end of Mazola Court. The tornado|likely lifted before crossing Cherokee Blvd in Kershaw County.
May 2024FloodPontiac-Columbia fire department reported flooding due to a blocked storm drain near this location. Provided pictures showed water covering one side of Two Notch Road.
September 2024Flash FloodPontiac-SC Hwy Patrol reported Two Notch Rd near Spears Creek Church Rd was washed out.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindPontiac-Trees downed on power lines along Bookman Rd near Old Two Notch Rd. Time estimated.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindPontiac-Highway Patrol reported power lines downed in the roadway on Clemson Road near I-20.
July 2020HailPontiac-Public reported nickel size hail on Spears Creek Church Rd. Time estimated.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindPontiac-SCHP reported multiple trees down on Bookman Rd and Jay Dr.
May 2014HailPontiac-Public reported ping pong ball sized hail in the Pontiac area.
May 2011HailPontiac-Public reported 3/4 inch hail on the northeast side of Columbia.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindPontiac-Public reported large branches down in northeast Columbia.
March 2008HailPontiac-TV 10 reported quarter size hail.
March 2008HailPontiac-SKYWARN spotter reported nickel size hail at Two Notch and Bookman roads.
April 2005HailPontiac-Sheriff reported 3/4 inch hail near the Clemson Ag Experimental Station.
July 2004HailPontiac-Highway Patrol reported penny size hail on I-20 between Pontiac and Elgin.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindPontiac-Highway dept. reported several trees down in the Pontiac area.
June 2000HailPontiac-SKYWARN spotter reported 3/4 inch hail.
September 2000Flash FloodPontiac-EPD reported flash flooding in low lying areas and across roads in northeast Richland Coundy.
June 1998HailPontiac-EPD reported nickel size hail.
May 1995HailPontiac-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Richland County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
North Crossing1.4 miles23
Royal Pines Estates1.6 miles23
North Springs1.8 miles23
Chimney Ridge2.0 miles23
Wildewood2.2 miles24
Huntcliff2.5 miles24
Rose Creek2.6 miles23
Green Springs2.6 miles23

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on PontiacAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q39050156The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1250211. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.