Torrents of rain fell early yesterday morning, causing some minor flooding in Clanton and other areas of the county.

The Chilton Research and Extension Center measured a total of 4.57 inches of rain over the last two days, pushing the monthly total to more than seven inches of rain.

Center horticulturalist Bobby Boozer said the ground is saturated and has alleviated any moisture needs for a while.

“The ground just can’t soak up any more rain,” Boozer said. “The excess water is just running off into the streams and ponds.”

The excess runoff caused a problem for one family just outside of Clanton City Limits. John Stiles had to deal with water that backed up into his property from Walnut Creek. He said it was caused by excess debris and trash that has collected at the sides of the County Road 89 bridge.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Stiles said.

It has rained so much over the last few days that many of the peach trees’ roots have been sitting in puddles of water. Boozer said that could be a problem in the future as many fungal diseases and brown rot could damage the root system.

The possibility of high winds from severe storms pushing through the area this morning could pose a dilemma. The ground is so soft that high winds could knock some trees over.

“It’s not as big of a concern since the trees don’t have full leaf development right now,” Boozer said. “If we had a full canopy (of leaves), then we might have more a cause for concern because the extra leaves could cause more resistance to knock trees over.”