HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – The Tennessee Valley finally received beneficial rainfall late Monday night.

This rain brought not only relief to the plants but also to wildland firefighters across the state of Alabama. Beginning at 8 am Wednesday there will be changes to the Burn Ban that was issued by Governor Kay Ivey on November 9th.

All burn restrictions will be lifted for 33 counties in the southern half of the state.

In North Alabama, counties will remain under a Fire Watch or a Burn Ban. For our viewing area specifically, with the amount of rain we received, the Burn Ban will be lifted and replaced with a Fire Alert.

With the Fire Alert back in place, one-day burn permits will be issued to certified prescribed burn managers only. The Alabama Forestry Commission Northwest Forester Terry Ezzell says small brush piles, leaf piles, fire pits, and campfires will all be acceptable starting Wednesday morning.

In total, there are 23 counties being lifted from the Burn Ban and placed under the Fire Watch.

The distribution of the rain was not even across the state, leading to eleven counties remaining under the Burn Ban. These counties include Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega counties.

Rain Totals Across The Area

The storm system that passed through the region produced beneficial soaking rain for North Alabama. The pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall along with the slow progression led to rain totals ranging from a quarter of an inch to nearly three inches by Tuesday morning.

Before this weather disturbance moved through, the area was experiencing a significant rain deficit for the Fall Season. The seasonal rain-to-date in Huntsville is now 3.50 inches. The rain deficit is now below seven inches but we still could benefit from another soaking rain event.

The rain we did see should help the drought conditions. That being said, it will not get rid of the current drought situation right away. We will need another heavy rain event to help improve these conditions.

Above is a look at some of the rain totals we have observed across North Alabama. Athens is one area that recorded one of the highest totals, 3.05 inches followed by Owens Cross Roads with 2.77 inches.