The Latest Update On Drought Conditions

The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor is in, and the drought conditions really haven’t changed that much from last week’s report. As of yesterday, over 67% of the state remains in a drought, which is a huge improvement from where we stood just 3 months ago. At that time, all of Alabama was defined in a drought.

Only a small swath of Central Alabama is defined under extreme drought conditions, which only accounts for a little over 2% of the state. This defined area includes small parts of southern St.Clair, southern Jefferson, northern Shelby, northern Bibb, and southern Tuscaloosa counties.

Much of the northern half of Central Alabama remains in a severe drought, with the exception of the northwestern parts of the area. Just about all of the area north of that remains in a moderate drought, with the northwestern corner of the state in an abnormally dry definition. Much of the southern half of the state is free from being defined in a drought, but there are still a few areas that are defined in the abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions.

Since the beginning of the year, we have enjoyed some decent rainfall in Central Alabama. So far for the year, here are the totals and the departure from normal numbers so far for 2017 (through Feb. 1st)…

Birmingham…. 6.71 in …. 1.70 in above normal
Montgomery…. 11.17 in …. 6.33 in above normal
Anniston…. 7.55 in …. 2.85 in above normal
Tuscaloosa…. 7.20 in …. 1.66 in above normal
Calera…. 6.94 in …. 1.39 in above normal
Troy…. 13.44 …. 8.73 in above normal

With that being said, the lack of rainfall for last week provided no help to the drought conditions in Central Alabama.

The fire danger risk for Central Alabama has diminished and the statewide burn ban has been rescinded. There is still some concern, and the State Forester continues to urge those that will be doing outdoor burning to follow the safety precautions. Have the proper amount of people and equipment to control the fire, and NEVER leave the fire unattended.

Stream flows have continued to decline according to the latest USGS Stream Gauge Data. We need periodic rainfall for those to return to improve and return to normal levels. As far as the major reservoir pool levels, they have remained steady and near the normal winter levels. Even though some restrictions are still in effect, some have been lifted.

The good news is that the latest GFS model run has the expected rainfall totals for the next 16 days for Central Alabama to be in the neighborhood of 2-3 inches for the areas that need the rain the most, with over 1 inch totals just to the south of that. We can still use every drop that we get from the skies.

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