After several days of gray skies and seemingly never-ending rainfall, the clouds finally parted Sunday as sunny skies and milder temperatures made a return to the Tennessee Valley.

Despite near-perfect conditions, water continued to remain high in several areas Monday after another round of heavy rain Saturday. A flood warning was still in effect for Limestone County through 5:30 p.m. today.

Some county roads were still closed as of Monday morning, according to the Athens-Limestone Emergency Management Agency. Because of that, classes at Limestone County Schools were again canceled Monday.

Limestone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Sisk previously told The News Courier extra instructional time was built into the school calendar so at least four inclement weather days could be covered, if necessary.

Affected roads were:

• Pope Road at Leggtown Road (north and south end);

• Aunt Ann Hill Road at Smith Hollow Road;

• Gaston Hollow Road;

• Happy Hollow Road at Alabama 127;

• Chapman Hollow Road at Alabama 99; and

• Alabama 99 between Patterson Hill Road and Dupree Hollow Road.

Northwest Limestone County near the Elk River was hit the hardest during the period of prolonged rainfall. District 4 Commissioner Ben Harrison said two homes on Pope Road were cut off by the water.

“To make it worse, they had no water because their water line is broken and it can’t be fixed until the water recedes,” he said, adding the Elk River was slowly receding Monday.

Harrison and his fellow road commissioners reported numerous road issues, including potholes, after the constant drenching. District 4 crews were replacing a 6-foot corrugated metal pipe on Gaston Hollow Road Monday that washed out over the weekend. Harrison said the road is used by large feed trucks to access chicken houses in his district.

Commissioners Daryl Sammet, Steve Turner and Jason Black reported numerous potholes and debris in tile and crossdrains, which their crews were working on Monday.

No serious travel issues were reported in the city limits of Athens, though Police Chief Floyd Johnson said there were a few areas where water was over the roadway.

Elsewhere, Athens Utilities responded to several scattered power outages, though most of those occurred Sunday. A street light falling on a power pole severed power to about 600 customers in an area spanning from U.S. 72 to Jefferson Street, Lucas Ferry Road, South Hine Street and Brownsferry Street.

A second outage, which affected 65 customers, was reported north of U.S. 72 on Blue Springs Road. The outage occurred when a tree fell onto a line.

Record rainfall

James Everett, who manages the Tennessee Valley Authority’s River Forecast Center, said rainfall amounts over the last 7 to 10 days had averaged 4 to 5 inches in east Tennessee to 12 to 13 inches in North Alabama. Wilson Dam in Town Creek recorded 13.5 inches of rainfall over the last 10 days.

“When we add that up, it’s looking like we broke a February rainfall record,” he said. “On average, we’re at about 11 inches of rainfall for the month, which is two to three times the rainfall we get for the normal month. We’re about 8 inches above normal.”

TVA has been keeping a close watch on rivers and dams in an effort to adjust flow, spillage and reservoir usage. The Tennessee River at Florence crested at 29 feet, though Everett said no damage was reported at Wilson or Wheeler dams.

TVA said barge traffic is at a halt along the entire Tennessee River because of high flows.

Looking ahead

Limestone Countians should enjoy at least two rain-free days this week, though a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms returns to the forecast Thursday and Friday. Rain chances drop down to 20 percent Saturday, but the National Weather Service has forecast a slight chance of rain and snow showers Saturday night and Sunday.