Latest Drought Update

The U. S. Drought Monitor was updated this morning, and it continued to show what we know all too well. As you can see from the map of the United States, northeastern Alabama and northern Georgia join the southern half of California with some of the worst drought conditions in the continental US. There is also moderate to severe drought conditions in New England and New York state.

Looking closer at Alabama, much of the northeastern quarter of the state of Alabama is in extreme or exceptional drought.

Along with the dry ground conditions, much of the ground cover such as grasses have gone dormant, so with the low humidity levels, we have prime conditions for wildfires. According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, there have been 910 wildfires in the last 24 days. The northern two-thirds of Alabama is under a “No Burn Order” that was declared on October 12. The map below shows the no burn area labeled as “Drought Emergency.”

The “No Burn Order” affects the following counties which were upgraded from a previously-issued Fire Alert: Autauga, Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston. The southern third of Alabama remained under a “Fire Alert” which discourages burning.

The official rainfall total for 2016 through yesterday at the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport stood at 43.84 inches which is 7.99 inches below our 30-year average annual rainfall. And the total October rainfall at Birmingham stands at a trace. Only two Octobers in Birmingham have observed a trace or less of rainfall – those were in 1924 and 1901. And unfortunately it appears that the next possibility for rain won’t come until we start November.

-Brian-

Category: Alabama's Weather