Pressure Washing in Charleston, SC

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Every month, we receive questions and concerns related to flooding, government regulations and sea-level rise. We read every single one.

This week, we received questions about mean lower low water — often referred to by its acronym MLLW — and other water level data used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service and the City of Charleston.

MLLW is used by the weather service and the city to communicate tide heights and flood risks to the public. But what does this term mean?

We spoke with Brian Haines, meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Charleston office, and Dale Morris, the city's chief resilience officer.

Here’s what we found out.

Wading through tidal level data points

Mean lower low water is the average of the lowest low tides each day over a 19-year period.

Its counterpart, mean higher high water, or MHHW, is the average of the highest high tides each day over a 19-year period.

These data points consider the observed tide heights, not just the astronomical tide projections based on the moon’s position and gravitational pull, Haines said. Observed tides are influenced by more than just the moon. Wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and storm surge all impact the tides.

Another data point often used by NOAA is mean sea level, which is the average of hourly tidal heights over a 19-year period.

These 19-year periods are predefined and called “tidal epochs.” Currently, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses the 1983-2001 tidal epoch. This epoch will be replaced in 2026 with one using data from 2002-2020, according to NOAA.

“It takes time for us to generate (tidal epochs),” Haines said, adding that the information is only released after all 19-years' worth of data is collected and analyzed, which takes time.

Because this data is from a 19-year period, values like MLLW don't change much between releases, he noted.

"This is a long time," Haines said. "This is why 30-year climate normals don't change much."

With wider data sets, it's more difficult to detect gradual changes.

MLLW is, above all else, a reference point, he said.

Water level data points such as MLLW give scientists a sense of the “normal" tidal range for a given body of water to establish a baseline. When a tide is projected to be outside of this baseline, scientists can understand and communicate flood risks.

“What we're trying to do is all speak the same language,” he said, adding that not everyone uses the same reference point, which can cause confusion even among scientists.

In other regions of the U.S., such as the Gulf of Mexico, MHHW is used as the default reference point.

“As long as you know what someone’s using, you’re OK,” he added. MLLW and MHHW can be easily converted, much like Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Charleston uses mean lower low water as the default because of the port and shipping industry. MLLW is more useful than MHHW to ship and barge operators because it's an easier reference point to determine if water depths are safe to pass through: If the water level is too low, a ship with a significant draft could get stuck.

SC Climate and Environment News

The weather service in Charleston and the city also use MLLW to communicate tide levels and flood risks to the public.

“We just want to use one datum,” Morris said, emphasizing the importance of consistency.

As the default reference point, MLLW is 0 feet. The mean sea level in Charleston is 2.92 feet (above MLLW), and the mean higher high water is 5.76 feet (above MLLW), according to NOAA.

The average high tide in Charleston is around 5.5 feet (above MLLW). The Charleston peninsula experiences minor coastal flooding when tides hit 7 feet (above MLLW), and at 7.5 feet (above MLLW), the roads can become impassable, according to the city's Tide Eye app.

Rising Waters

Both Morris and Haines compared MLLW to Fahrenheit.

“You know that 90 degrees is hot,” Morris said. Similarly, Charleston residents can use MLLW as a reference point for flood risk.

If a resident knows their street or property starts to flood at 7 feet (above MLLW) and a 7.5 foot tide is predicted, they should know to prepare by getting sandbags, moving their car to higher ground and considering evacuation.

The story the group tells is a tale of slavery, pain and family but incredible joy, and they are spreading that message across the city of Charleston.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Listen...

It is the sound of sadness, joy and eternal hope, all in a few songs.

For 27 years, Lynnette White has led the Plantation Singers a cappella group. They are a fixture at Halls Chophouse Sunday brunch, where locals – many on their way home from church – and out-of-towners hear the singers celebrate the good news of the gospel and the spirituals inspired by the Gullah Geechee culture.

To White, this music IS the music of South Carolina's Lowcountry.

"That music where we represent some of the old spiritual songs, the old gospel songs and the hymns. The songs that we do were created in the plantation fields," White said. "And then, that music moved into the church, and then, it started spreading out from there."

White founded the Plantation Singers and has been presenting programs and concerts for years. She has a program for schools that teaches students the history of the Lowcountry, from slavery to emancipation to the Gullah culture in its present form. The Gullah are an African American ethnic group that live in the Lowcountry of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. Many of the local Gullah here are from the nearby Sea Islands.

RELATED: Chuck's Big Adventure in Charleston: Old South Carriage Company

In 2014, Halls Chophouse, a legendary Charleston restaurant, came calling. The group was asked to sing songs for a gospel brunch. They initially sang from noon to 3 p.m., but soon after, they expanded the concert from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — that's five hours of singing every Sunday!

"They have a restaurant called High Cotton. We did a Saturday brunch for a while for four hours, so we were doing nine hours every weekend for a while," White said.

Halls Chophouse

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WTHR

Halls Chophouse hosts a gospel brunch every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It would be a mistake to think this group is restricting its reach to breakfast crowds. The outreach of the Plantation Singers is worldwide.

"I believe in sharing what we do with the world, so we went out of the country three times. We do travel all over the United States. We'll go anywhere people want to hear this kind of music," White said. "We have been to Naples, Italy and we have toured Spain, and then, we went to South Korea."

The group has traveled most of South Carolina with a 60-minute program aimed at school-age children. They start the program with their signature song, "This Little Light of Mine." then share a story about Gullah Geechee culture and the Underground Railroad, and they have the children join them in playing instruments.

For White, teaching this South Carolina culture is very important.

"I tell people that this group, the Plantation Singers, are about preservation, education and a celebration of the Gullah Geechee culture," White said.

While at Halls Chophouse, the group sang one of my favorite songs with an unforgettable lyric: "Jesus is my doctor, and he writes all my prescriptions ... in the prayer room."

Credit: WTHR

That message is at the core foundation of the Plantation Singers, and whether you see them in a restaurant, a conference or a festival, White says she has the same theme every day.

"I tell people, 'We represent peace, love and joy!" White said.

The Plantation Singers are a real treat. The story they tell is a tale of slavery, pain and family but incredible joy, and they are spreading that message across the city of Charleston.

Amen!

ZANESVILLE – When it comes to Matt Fox, multi-talented is an understatement.

“I was a kid with a big imagination,” recalled Fox. “I grew up playing outdoors with my cousins, building forts in the woods from junk we would find laying around. I wanted to be an architect growing up and was always sketching houses and floor plans. But not being a strong student in math, I soon decided architecture wasn’t for me. I enjoyed taking art classes in high school and the teacher, Mrs. Wolfe, inspired me to be creative and to think outside the box. She gave her students a lot of autonomy, making it easier to develop a creative mind. But I never thought I would be working with stained glass.”

Today, Fox is a stained-glass artist with his Matt’s Art Glass.

“I’m a one-man show. I do everything,” he explained. “I design, cut, grind, foil, solder, and clean every piece. I don’t think I’ll every use an apprentice. At that point it turns more businesslike, and I feel I would lose my creative input having someone else cut and assemble the pieces.

“Art was part of my life from a young age,” he added. “My fascination with stained glass started on vacation trips to Charleston, South Carolina. The city is filled with churches, each with facades covered with stained glass windows.”

Fox, 36, grew up in Adamsville, graduated from Tri-Valley in 2006, then earned an undergrad degree and a master’s in nursing at Ohio University. He’s now working toward completing a Ph.D. in higher education at Ohio University’s Patton College of Education.

“I currently say I have four careers,” he said. “I’m an artist, a nurse, an educator, and a doctoral student. My first career path was in health care as a registered nurse, working at local health care facilities. I’ve been a registered nurse for 14 years and counting. I left bedside nursing to pursue a different path with nursing education in 2014 and am now a tenured professor of nursing at Ohio University’s School of Nursing.

“I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been selling my glass art, but I think it started back in 2017,” he continued. “I started Matt’s Art Glass wanting to sell a few pieces and to get my art out in the world. As a stained-glass artist, there’s not much of a profit margin, but I like to keep my artwork affordably priced, so everyone can enjoy. Art doesn’t spread messages sitting in a high-priced gallery.”

Jan Bradshaw is a friend who also works at Zane Grey Elementary and is the 2nd Ward councilwoman.

“I’ve been buying Matt’s art glass since he started,” said Bradshaw. “I’ve also commissioned him to make pieces for me to give as gifts. Many of the teachers I work with have Matt’s artwork in their homes and rooms. Matt is a dedicated artist. This dedication has laid a foundation for his business to continue to grow. The sky is the limit for him.”

“I enjoy creating stained glass artwork,” Fox responded. “It’s been frustrating at times, but with practice I’ve slowly improved my skill. I enjoy putting my all into commissioned pieces to see the look on a customer’s face when they unwrap the piece. After a long pause with art, as I completed college and worked as a nurse, I started selling my art at the Masonic Temple 2019, then the Y-Bridge Cultural Arts Center, and now at the BunkoJess Gallery.

“I’m pleased with every direction life has pulled me,” he concluded. “I expect that life will continue to change with time, and I hope those changes will allow me to continue using my skill to spread glass art out into the world.”

Matt’s Art Glass is located in the BunkoJess Gallery at 126 Muskingum Ave. For more information, look on Facebook.

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at trnews@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com.

College of Charleston struck for two big innings offensively and had two pitchers combine for a one-hit performance in a 13-0 victory over the Youngstown State baseball team in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

The Cougars struck for six runs in the third inning and five in the fourth before adding pair of runs in the fifth on their way to completing the three-game series sweep.

Youngstown State falls to 0-6 on the 2024 season while College of Charleston improves to 7-0.

CofC starter Connor Campbell did allow a base runner until Matt Thompson sent a two-out single to right field in the top of the eighth inning. Campbell allowed one hit and struck out three batters over 7.2 scoreless innings to earn his second victory of the season. Davis Aiken came on to retire all four batters he faced to complete the one-hit effort for the Cougars.

YSU starter Braden Gebhardt suffered the loss after allowing five runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks over 2.1 innings in his first start of the season. Nick Perez was responsible for six runs on five hits and four walks in 1.2 innings before Casey Marshalwitz surrendered two runs on three hits in one inning of work. Lane Rhodes allowed one hit over two scoreless innings while Cam Marshalwitz tossed a scoreless eighth inning in his first appearance of the campaign.

College of Charleston scored six runs on six hits in the bottom of the third inning to build a 6-0 lead. Dariyan Pendergrass hit a leadoff double and Cole Mathis followed with an RBI double to put the Cougars on the board. After Kevin Madden brought home Mathis with a one-out RBI single, Avery Neaves hit a two-run home run to left field to put CofC in front 4-0. An RBI single by Dylan Johnson and an RBI groundout by Tyler Sorrentino gave the Cougars a 6-0 edge after three innings.

The Cougars went on to strike for five runs in the home half of the fourth inning to push their advantage to 11-0. Luke Wood hit a two-run single with the bases loaded, Johnson followed with an RBI double and Sorrentino drove in a run with a groundout. Johnson came around to score on a wild pitch for the final run of the frame. College of Charleston added a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to produce the final margin. Madden hit a one-out solo home run before Neaves doubled and scored when Wood reached on a fielder's choice.

Youngstown State is scheduled to play its first midweek contest of the season on Wednesday at Pitt. First pitch at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh is slated for 3 p.m.