Drought conditions continue to deteriorate across North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee. With very little rainfall over the past several weeks, the rainfall deficits in our region continue to tick up.

With the latest update to the drought monitor, most of our region is now experiencing extreme drought conditions. Some parts of the region are now experiencing exceptional drought, especially around the Shoals and Scottsboro.

Year-to-date rainfall is falling significantly behind in both Huntsville and Muscle Shoals. There is now a deficit of 8.76 inches in Huntsville, while Muscle Shoals is at a deficit of 10.53 inches for the year.

In Huntsville, this is the third-driest fall season on record, coming in behind the fall of 2016. Since September 1, there has only been 1.73 inches of rain. Normally, there would be more than nine inches of rain during this time of the year.

The Shoals is experiencing the second-driest fall on record, with just 0.66 inches of rain so far this season. With close to nine inches normally for this time of the year, this puts the area behind by 8.25 inches for the season.

There is hope for rain in the months to come. Typically, our winter months tend to be wetter, with more than five inches normally in December and February, and a little less than five inches normally in January.