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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The new U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday, July 28 shows some improvement to drought conditions in north Alabama.
The largest improvement came in the ‘severe drought’ category. Last week, 14.5 percent of the state was considered to be in a severe drought; this week only 12 percent is included in that level of drought.
Despite decent rain in parts of Jackson County last weekend, much of the county remains in the ‘extreme’ drought category.
The year-to-date departure from normal rainfall map shows exactly why our area is experiencing drought conditions: some parts of Jackson County are over 12 inches below normal since January 1. A majority of the area is running between two and five inches below the normal amount of rainfall expected by July 28.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency made assistance available to 12 counties in Alabama due to the ongoing drought.
Uneven rainfall through the weekend will deliver some communities with beneficial rain while others continue with little-to-nothing.
The entire drought information statement released Thursday morning by the National Weather Service Huntsville is posted below:
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1045 AM CDT THU JUL 28 2016 ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE SLIGHTLY IN PORTIONS OF THE AREA... BUT EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS REMAIN ACROSS NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA... SYNOPSIS: ACCORDING TO THE DROUGHT MONITOR VALID TUESDAY...JULY 26TH 2016...SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO THE THE AREA OF EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/ OVER NORTHERN ALABAMA. D3 WAS SCALED BACK TO D2 OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN MADISON COUNTY...AND WESTERN JACKSON COUNTY...HOWEVER CONDITIONS WORSENED OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHWESTERN MADISON COUNTY (AND EXTREME EAST-CENTRAL LIMESTONE COUNTY). OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF MARSHALL AND DEKALB COUNTIES...CONDITIONS IMPROVED FROM D3 TO D2. ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA STATE LINE...DROUGHT CONDITIONS DETERIORATED...WITH EXTREME WESTERN PORTIONS OF LAUDERDALE...COLBERT...AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES LISTED AS D2. EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF FRANKLIN COUNTIES ARE ALSO NOW LISTED AS D3. OTHER PORTIONS OF NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA REMAIN IN D0 TO D1. IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...A SLIGHT RETREAT OF D3 CONDITIONS FROM LINCOLN COUNTY WERE MADE WITH THE MOST RECENT DROUGHT MONITOR...HOWEVER...CONDITIONS IN FRANKLIN AND MOORE COUNTIES REMAIN UNCHANGED. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS: STATE AND LOCAL DECLARATIONS: THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS (ADECA) OFFICE OF WATER RESOURCES CURRENTLY HAS ALL OF OUR COUNTIES IN A 'DROUGHT WARNING'...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CULLMAN COUNTY...WHICH IS IN A 'DROUGHT WATCH'. PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS AND OTHER PRIVATE WATER USERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO CAREFULLY MONITOR CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO IMPLEMENT DROUGHT CONSERVATION PLANS. THE ALABAMA OFFICE OF WATER RESOURCES WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR CONDITIONS AND PROVIDE UPDATED NOTIFICATIONS AS NEEDED. AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS: PER THE LATEST CROP AND PROGRESS CONDITION REPORT FROM THE USDA NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE...AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AGENTS IN MARSHALL COUNTY SAY THAT COTTON...SOYBEAN...AND PASTURES HAVE GREENED UP FROM THE RECENT RAINFALL IN THAT REGION. HOWEVER...FOR SOME CROPS LIKE CORN...THE RAIN CAME TOO LATE TO REVERSE THE CROP LOSS. AGRICULTURAL REPORTS ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE GROWING SEASON HAVE INDICATED THAT CORN HAS SUFFERED THE GREATEST DUE TO THE DRY CONDITIONS. THE FRANKLIN COUNTY FARM SERVICE AGENCY /FSA/ IN TENNESSEE REPORTED THAT EXTREME HEAT WITH LITTLE TO NO RAINFALL FOR THE WEEK DOMINATED THE WEATHER PATTERN. CROPS IN THE WESTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY ARE FARING FAIRLY WELL...BUT THE EASTERN HALF HAS BEEN LESS FORTUNATE WITH RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION...WITH SEVERAL AREAS SHOWING DROUGHT STRESS. COUNTIES THAT ARE IN EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/ AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) PRIMARY NATURAL DISASTER STATUS. AS OF JULY 13TH...THE USDA OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED JACKSON...DEKALB...MARSHALL AND MADISON COUNTIES AS PRIMARY NATURAL DISASTER AREAS DUE TO DAMAGES AND LOSSES CAUSED BY THE RECENT DROUGHT. IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...FRANKLIN AND LINCOLN COUNTIES ARE ALSO INCLUDED. PER THE USDA...THE CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES OF MOORE...LIMESTONE...MORGAN...AND CULLMAN ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE DISASTER DECLARATION. ANY FURTHER NATURAL DISASTER DECLARATIONS PERTAINING TO DROUGHT WILL BE UPDATED IN THE NEXT DROUGHT STATEMENT ISSUANCE NEXT WEEK. FIRE DANGER IMPACTS: THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION FIRE ALERTS OR DROUGHT EMERGENCIES ISSUED. STATE FORESTER GREG PATE IS STILL URGING EVERYONE TO USE ALL NECESSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN DOING ANY TYPE OF OUTDOOR BURNING. TO OBTAIN A BURN PERMIT...CONTACT THE ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION DISPATCH CENTER FOR YOUR COUNTY. LOCAL COUNTY AND CITY LAWS MAY RESTRICT OUTDOOR BURNING HOWEVER...SO BURNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACTING THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE TENNESSEE DIVISION OF FORESTRY HAS NO CURRENT BURN RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE AND BURN PERMITS ARE CURRENTLY NOT REQUIRED BY THE DIVISION. HOWEVER...BURNERS ARE URGED TO CHECK FOR ANY LOCAL RESTRICTIONS PRIOR TO CONDUCTING BURNING ACTIVITY. THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX (KBDI) AVAILABLE FROM THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE WILDLAND FIRE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM INDICATES VALUES ARE AROUND 500 TO 600 ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. LOCATIONS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY /INCLUDING THE BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST/ AND FRANKLIN COUNTY ALABAMA HAVE VALUES BETWEEN 600 AND 700. VALUES IN EXCESS OF 600 ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH MORE SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. INTENSE...DEEP BURNING FIRES WITH SIGNIFICANT DOWNWIND SPOTTING...AND BURNING OF LIVE FUELS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH KBDI VALUES ABOVE 600. CLIMATE SUMMARY: OVER THE LAST WEEK...RAINFALL HAS BEEN NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL... HOWEVER...A SWATH OF ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION OCCURRED IN MARSHALL AND DEKALB COUNTIES. IN ADDITION...LOCATIONS IN NORTHWESTERN LIMESTONE...NORTHEASTERN LINCOLN...NORTHEASTERN MADISON...AND SOUTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTIES RECEIVED ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL AS WELL. TEMPERATURES OVER THE LAST WEEK HAVE AVERAGED ABOUT 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. SO FAR FOR THE MONTH OF JULY...THIS RANKS AS THE SECOND WARMEST JULY ON RECORD AT HUNTSVILLE. AT MUSCLE SHOALS...THIS RANKS AS THE SEVENTH WARMEST. AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION GOES...AS IS TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...SOME LOCATIONS HAVE RECEIVED AMPLE RAINFALL WHILE OTHERS HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY DRY GIVEN THE SPOTTY COVERAGE OF CONVECTION. OVERALL...CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN DRIEST IN JACKSON COUNTY...PARTS OF MADISON COUNTY...PORTIONS OF FAR NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA...AND ALSO FRANKLIN COUNTY TENNESSEE. DURING THE SPRING AND INTO EARLY SUMMER...TEMPERATURES HAVE AVERAGED WELL ABOVE NORMAL. IN HUNTSVILLE...THIS PERIOD IS THE THIRD WARMEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD. IT IS ALSO THIRD WARMEST PERIOD AT MUSCLE SHOALS. THE SCOTTSBORO COOP SITE AT WWIC IN DOWNTOWN SCOTTSBORO IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORST DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN OUR REGION...AND HAVE ONLY RECORDED 11.69 INCHES OF RAINFALL SINCE MARCH 1ST. NORMAL RAINFALL FROM MARCH 1ST THROUGH JULY 27TH IS 22.77 INCHES. THIS IS CURRENTLY DRIER THAN THE SAME NEARLY 5-MONTH TIME PERIOD IN 2007. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK: A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED FROM TODAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS THE REGION. HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR WEST WILL AGAIN SHIFT EASTWARD BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...LESSENING THE CHANCES FOR RAINFALL THROUGH THE MID AND LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THE OUTLOOK FOR WEEK TWO /AUG 4TH - AUG 10TH/ FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER STRONGLY FAVORS ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND SLIGHTLY FAVORS BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE REGION. THE OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST FAVORS ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES....WITH EQUAL CHANCES FOR BELOW, NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. THE LATEST SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK VALID FROM JULY 21ST TO OCTOBER 31ST INDICATES THAT DROUGHT IS LIKELY TO PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... AREA RIVERS AND CREEKS THAT RECEIVED BENEFICIAL RAINFALL FROM THE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER THE PAST WEEK ROSE TO SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN NORMAL VALUES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. SINCE THAT TIME...HOWEVER...THE DRIER CONDITIONS HAVE CAUSED RIVER AND CREEK LEVELS TO FALL ACROSS THE AREA. SEVEN-DAY STREAMFLOW AVERAGES ARE RELATIVELY LOW FOR MOST LOCATIONS (AGAIN, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVED DECENT AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL OVER THE PAST WEEK). SEVERAL EXAMPLES ARE: PAINT ROCK RIVER AT WOODVILLE (4TH PERCENTILE) ELK RIVER AT FAYETTEVILLE (5TH PERCENTILE) LIMESTONE CREEK AT CAPSHAW NEAR ATHENS (11TH PERCENTILE) SIPSEY FORK IN THE BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST (22ND PERCENTILE) LAKE LEVELS HAVE LARGELY BEEN UNAFFECTED BY THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS SO FAR...WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS. LAKES WITHIN THE HEAVILY REGULATED TENNESSEE RIVER SYSTEM ARE OPERATING WITHIN NORMAL POOL LEVELS. ALTHOUGH...TIMS FORD LAKE CONTINUES TO OPERATE BELOW THE NORMAL GUIDECURVE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR BUT IS STILL ABOVE THE MINIMUM RECREATION LEVEL. LITTLE BEAR CREEK IS OPERATING BELOW THE NORMAL GUIDE CURVE AND HAS FALLEN TO THE LOW NOTCH IN RECENT WEEKS. PICKWICK LAKE IS OPERATING AT THE LOW END OF THE OPERATING ZONE. ALABAMA POWER REPORTS THAT DRY CONDITIONS ARE HAVING AN IMPACT ON SOME LAKE LEVELS UNDER THEIR CONTROL...INCLUDING LEWIS SMITH LAKE. THE LAKE IS OPERATING BELOW ITS NORMAL GUIDE CURVE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO FALL WITHOUT THE NECESSARY RAINFALL TO MAINTAIN NORMAL POOL. ACCORDING TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...THE LATEST DAILY SOIL MOISTURE RANKINGS AS OF JULY 27TH RANGED MARKEDLY. IN PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA...SOIL MOISTURE VALUES ARE IN THE 1ST TO 5TH PERCENTILES. IN NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA...VALUES RANK ABOVE THE 30TH PERCENTILE. IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...VALUES GENERALLY RANK BETWEEN THE 10TH AND 30TH PERCENTILES. THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GROUNDWATER WELL SITES IN LAWRENCE AND CULLMAN COUNTIES INDICATE THAT GROUNDWATER LEVELS FELL BELOW THE DAILY MEDIAN VALUE DURING THE MARCH TO LATE APRIL PERIOD AND HAVE SINCE REMAINED BELOW NORMAL SINCE THAT TIME. GROUNDWATER LEVELS AT THE WELL SITE IN CULLMAN CONTINUE TO SHOW GRADUAL DECLINES AND BELOW NORMAL VALUES...BUT DECLINES IN GROUNDWATER LEVELS THIS TIME OF YEAR ARE TYPICAL. GROUNDWATER LEVELS AT THE WELL IN LAWRENCE COUNTY HAVE BEEN FLUCTUATING SINCE LATE MAY...WITH A GRADUAL DECLINE IN VALUES NOW NOTED OVER THE PAST MONTH OR SO. THE GROUNDWATER WELL SITES IN JACKSON AND MADISON COUNTIES OPERATED BY THE ALABAMA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SHOW GROUNDWATER LEVELS BELOW AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...WITH VALUES HAVING FALLEN MARKEDLY SINCE LATE APRIL. THE OUTLOOK FOR SOIL MOISTURE AND STREAMFLOWS OVER THE NEXT WEEK IS FOR LITTLE TO NO CHANGE IN IMPROVEMENT DUE TO LESSENING CHANCES FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THROUGH THE MIDDLE AND LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. STREAMFLOWS MAY ALSO EXPERIENCE BRIEF/TEMPORARY RISES AFTER SPOTTY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY THROUGH THIS WEEKEND...BUT THESE EFFECTS ARE LIKELY TO BE RELATIVELY SHORT-LIVED SINCE THE LONGER-TERM FAVORS A RETURN TO WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
