Alabama is still stuck in a drought, but the numbers improved in every category in the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The Drought Monitor looks at drought conditions nationwide and issues a report each Thursday.
Here are the stats from this week’s report:
12.49 percent of Alabama was drought-free this week, an improvement from 6.63 percent last week.87.51 percent of the state was either in a drought or on the verge of one, a decrease from 93.37 percent last week.63.50 percent of Alabama was classified as in Level 1 or moderate drought, a decrease from 66.21 percent last week.Here’s a big improvement: 26.83 percent of the state is in Level 2 or severe drought, a decrease from 40.61 percent last week.6.68 percent of Alabama is in Level 3 or extreme drought, a decrease from 10.69 percent last week.No part of Alabama is in Level 4 or exceptional drought, the most severe category.
The hardest-hit areas remain in west and south Alabama
In west Alabama that includes parts of Greene, Hale, Marengo, Choctaw and Sumter counties.
In south Alabama all of Houston and Geneva counties are in Level 3 drought. Level 3 drought was also noted in parts of Henry, Dale, Coffee, Covington and Escambia counties.
More rain is in the forecast for Alabama, and it should help improve drought conditions in some areas.
The National Weather Service is forecasting 2 to 3 inches of rain through Saturday night for some of the driest spots in the state:
The southern third of Alabama is expected to get 2 to 3 inches of rain through Saturday night.NWS
But beyond the weekend there could be drier weather to deal with.
The six- to 10-day precipitation outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting higher odds of below-average rainfall from Dec. 9-13:
Drier-than-average conditions will be possible in Alabama from Dec. 9-13.Climate Prediction Center
Most of Alabama will have a 40-50 percent probability of below-average precipitation from Dec. 9-13.
The eastern fringes of the state have slightly lower odds of below-average rainfall — 33-40 percent.
The next U.S. Drought Monitor report is scheduled to be released on Dec. 11.