MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Waves of storms over two days dropped as much as 5 inches of rain in southwest Alabama, but forecasters said Friday the worst flood threats were over.
It won’t take much after a soggy month to send creeks rising again, however.
“It’s been so moist it doesn’t take a whole lot now,” said Jack Cullen of the National Weather Service office in Mobile.
Nearly 2 feet of rain fell in Alabama’s coastal counties a month ago, flooding neighborhoods and washing out roads. Dozens of people had to be rescued from their homes.
With the ground still saturated, rains from this week could have caused similar problems had it not been for an earlier window of dry weather, Cullen said.
“What helped us out was we had about a 10-day dry spell before this period,” he said.
Southern Mobile County has received from 2 inches to 5 inches of rain since Wednesday and as much as 3 inches fell across Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, but a flash flood watch expired Friday after two days of heavy rain without serious problems.
The weather service said there was still a chance of more rain through the weekend, plus a high risk of dangerous rip currents on beaches in Mobile and Baldwin counties because of brisk southerly winds and a wide tidal variance.
A Georgia man drowned in heavy surf in Orange Beach on Wednesday.
“There’s still a high risk of rip currents down there and probably will be for the next day or two,” said Cullen.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.