Flash flood warnings hit Autauga County as heavy rain swamps Prattville, Millbrook

Gauges across Autauga County measured between 4.3 and 5.15 inches of rain as flash flood warnings swept through Prattville, Millbrook and nearby communities, turning small creeks, streets and underpasses into overnight hazards.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued the warning at 9:09 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, May 6, for central Autauga County and surrounding areas, including Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, Bullock, Macon and Russell counties. It was set to run until 12:15 a.m. CDT Thursday, May 7. The alert said Doppler radar showed thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area, with 2 to 4 inches already fallen and another 1 to 3 inches still possible.

Prattville, Millbrook, Montgomery, Coosada, Autaugaville and White Hall were among the locations listed in the warning. Officials said flash flooding was either ongoing or expected to begin shortly, with the most immediate threat centered on small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, underpasses and low-lying spots where water can rise fast and trap drivers.

The danger did not end when the rain let up. A later update extended a central Alabama flash flood warning until 3:30 a.m. Thursday, May 7, keeping the overnight risk alive for commuters and anyone traveling through low ground, drainage ditches or crossing points that can back up quickly during intense downpours.

By Friday morning, May 8, the National Weather Service Birmingham forecast page still showed flood-related hazards in its office area, even as much of Central Alabama remained under moderate to extreme drought. That contrast underscored how fast a dry region can swing from water stress to dangerous runoff when heavy rain falls on hard or saturated ground.

For Autauga County, the storm raised the same hard questions that follow every major flash flood: which drainage trouble spots failed first, where water backed up in Prattville and Millbrook, and whether the repeated warnings point to infrastructure weak points that keep putting roads and neighborhoods at risk. The warning’s list of impacted areas made clear that the threat was not confined to one neighborhood or one stretch of road; it reached into the daily travel routes that connect homes, schools and workplaces across the county.