Forecasts show rain potential of 2″-4″ here in Bibb through next weekend. That can be a good bit on its own in that amount of time, but what of the Birmingham area getting even more? Forecasts say the Jefferson County area could get as much as 8 inches of rain in that same time. What happens to a lot of that rain in Jefferson County? It drains down the Cahaba River.
Does that mean we could see more flooding in our area? Possibly. It doesn’t seem it will be nearly as bad as we saw recently with the riverbank in Centreville reaching near record levels, but it could rise, and could cause additional damage to already weakened areas.
The recent flooding damaged the Cahaba Riverwalk area, completely washing out part of the trail and making it unsafe. The degree of damage prevents the building of a new canoe launch and revamping the walking trail, which are the core elements of the improvement project under way. Members of the grant improvement project came before the County Commission last week to ask for the County Engineer to consult on how best to repair the damage. It is yet to be known how much the repairs might cost.
The flood also caused a section of the Brent/Centreville sewage system to be damaged and need an emergency repair, and several small roads were washed out in spots. Luckily, to our knowledge, no homes were damaged in the previous event. This means good news that this event, which doesn’t look to be as severe, will likely not reach homes either.
The possibility of high wind gusts and soggy soil, however, could result in some trees down. Flash flooding and roads washed out in places could also occur. Use caution while driving.
Everyone stay alert and aware of weather updates as we proceed through the week. We will see rains Sunday and Monday, easing off Tuesday, and picking back up Wednesday, to run through the weekend.
