By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

Instead of a white Christmas, the holiday was ushered in by torrential rain throughout Shelby County. Continual rain since Dec. 24 caused flooding and several road closures, however county officials said the area was “quite fortunate” given the circumstances.

Shelby, Columbiana and Wilsonville were hit hardest, with some areas seeing more than 10 inches of rain from Dec. 21-26, according to the Birmingham National Weather Service.

Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Supervisor Hub Harvey estimated more than 5 inches of rain fell just south of Chelsea.

One Wilsonville residence required Red Cross assistance due to flooding, four Columbiana businesses reported flooding and the Kingdom area of Wilsonville saw the most flood-induced road closures.

“We really were quite fortunate,” Harvey said of the total extent of flood-related damage.

The Kingdom area of Wilsonville saw the most road closures due to floodwater.

“This amount (of rain) is a little unusual, but it’s not totally unexpected,” Harvey said.

Alabama experiences two annual severe weather seasons: Spring and fall. November and December make up the fall season, Harvey said, noting December historically ranks third for months with the highest number of tornadoes.

The Shelby County EMA began planning for the severe Christmas weather four days before the rain began, Harvey said. Agency staff members stayed close at hand throughout the holiday in order to quickly respond to the weather situation.

“All of our staff was here, it basically just turned out to be another regular work day for us,” Harvey said. “We were looking at Christmas Day (weather forecasts) around Sunday…We were ready for a response if needed.”

Flooding from the Christmastime rainfall has receded, but more rain is forecasted this week. The Shelby County EMA maintains “very good contact” with the Birmingham National Weather Service, located near the Shelby County Airport, Harvey said.

“We are looking at another front coming through on Wednesday and Thursday,” Harvey said.

The Shelby County EMA will monitor the weather and maintain contact with the Birmingham National Weather Service in order to adjust plans, Harvey said.