217
AXUS74 KBMX 141444
DGTBMX
ALC001-005>011-015>021-027-029-037-047-051-055-057-063-065-073-075-
081-085>093-101-105>127-201200-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
845 AM CDT THU OCT 31 2019
..DROUGHT CONDITIONS DIMINISHING ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
SYNOPSIS...THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATES THAT DROUGHT
CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. A
SMALL AREA OF SEVERE DROUGHT IS STILL FOUND OVER PORTIONS OF CHILTON
COUNTY. SURROUNDING THIS AREA, A DIMINISHING AREA OF MODERATE
DROUGHT IS STILL FOUND FROM SOUTHERN SHELBY, WESTERN CHILTON AND
AUTAUGA COUNTIES EAST TO NEAR THE AUBURN AREA. ELSEWHERE, ABNORMALLY
DRY CONDITIONS ARE FOUND IN THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST CENTRAL
ALABAMA. OVER REMAINING AREAS, CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY NEAR
NORMAL.
D0...ABNORMALLY DRY
D1...MODERATE DROUGHT
D2...SEVERE DROUGHT
D3...EXTREME DROUGHT
D4...EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OCCURRED OVER CENTRAL
ALABAMA DURING THE PAST TWO WEEKS. THIS, COMBINED WITH NOTICEABLY
COOLER TEMPERATURES THAN EARLIER THIS FALL, HAS HELPED TO RELIEVE
THE DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA.
SOME PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS (INCHES) FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA FROM JANUARY
1ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 13TH...
BIRMINGHAM 45.62
MONTGOMERY 40.77
ANNISTON 47.12
TUSCALOOSA 54.34
CALERA 40.50
TROY 37.52
NORMAL PRECIPITATION EXPECTED (INCHES) AND DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL
(INCHES) JANUARY 1ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 13TH...
BIRMINGHAM 46.26 -0.64
MONTGOMERY 45.37 -4.60
ANNISTON 42.79 +4.33
TUSCALOOSA 44.69 +9.65
CALERA 46.97 -6.47
TROY 46.78 -9.26
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
INFORMATION FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
AND OTHER SOURCES INDICATES THAT IMPACTS FROM THE DROUGHT ARE
GRADUALLY EASING. PASTURES HAVE BENEFITED FROM THE RECENT RAINFALL.
SOME LIVESTOCK ARE STILL BEING FED HAY TO SUPPLEMENT THE LACK OF
GRAZING. CROP HARVESTS HAVE RANGED FROM POOR TO GOOD. SOME PLANTING
OF WINTER FORAGES HAS CONTINUED WITH COOL SEASON PASTURES REPORTED
TO BE GROWING NICELY. DESPITE THE DRY CONDITIONS EXPERIENCED
EARLIER, A MAJORITY OF CROPS ARE REPORTED TO BE IN FAIR TO GOOD
CONDITION, WITH EVEN A MAJORITY OF PASTURES AND RANGES NOW REPORTED
TO BE IN FAIR TO GOOD CONDITION.
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
THE FIRE DANGER RISK HAS LESSENED ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH KEETCH-
BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES (KBDI) CURRENTLY BELOW 400 ACROSS MOST OF
THE AREA. VALUES ABOVE 500 INDICATE A SEVERE FIRE DANGER.
THE ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION (AFC) HAS LIFTED THE FIRE ALERT
ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. THE AFC HAS RESUMED ISSUING FIRE PERMITS FOR
BURNING AS USUAL. HOWEVER...THE FORESTRY COMMISSION STILL URGES
EVERYONE TO TAKE THE NECESSARY SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND USE CARE WHEN
DOING OUTDOOR BURNING.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
THE LATEST USGS STREAM GAUGE DATA INDICATES THAT STREAM FLOWS ACROSS
CENTRAL ALABAMA HAVE CURRENTLY RETURNED TO NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL OVER
MOST OF THE AREA DUE TO RECENT RAINFALL. PERIODIC RAINFALL WILL BE
NEEDED TO MAINTAIN STREAM FLOWS AT NEAR-NORMAL OR ABOVE NORMAL
LEVELS AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH THE FALL.
MANY OF THE MAJOR RESERVOIR POOL LEVELS ARE SLOWLY FALLING AS
OPERATORS BEGIN TO LOWER THEM TOWARD THEIR WINTER LEVELS. LISTED
BELOW ARE CURRENT LEVELS FOR SOME OF THE MAJOR RESERVOIRS ACROSS
CENTRAL ALABAMA AND THOSE FROM OCTOBER 31ST.
RESERVOIR LEVEL FOR 11/14/19 LEVEL FOR 10/31/19
WEISS 560.4 561.4
NEELY HENRY 507.2 507.3
LOGAN MARTIN 461.6 462.0
LAY 395.8 395.7
MITCHELL 311.8 311.6
JORDAN 251.5 251.7
R.L. HARRIS 787.2 788.9
MARTIN 484.1 485.6
SMITH 497.2 499.9
BANKHEAD 254.8 254.6
HOLT 186.7 186.7
SOCIAL IMPACTS...
RESERVOIR LEVELS ARE BEGINNING TO FALL AS OPERATORS MOVE THEM TOWARD
THEIR WINTER LEVELS. WHILE THERE ARE NO KNOWN MANDATORY WATER
RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT, NORMAL WATER CONSERVATION
TECHNIQUES ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE FOLLOWED IN THE EVENT THAT THE
DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST OR WORSEN AS WE MOVE TOWARD WINTER.
PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE
NEXT THIRTY SIX HOURS AND WILL BRING SOME RAIN TO MAINLY THE
SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA. BY LATE FRIDAY CONTINUING INTO THE FIRST
HALF OF NEXT WEEK MOSTLY DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD
CENTRAL ALABAMA AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE TAKES CONTROL. RAINFALL
THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY IS FORECAST TO AVERAGE LESS THAN AN INCH, AND
SHOULD OCCUR PRIMARILY OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF CENTRAL ALABAMA.
THE TWO WEEK OUTLOOK...FROM NOVEMBER 19TH THROUGH NOVEMBER 27TH...
CALLS FOR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL
TRANSITIONING TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL.
THE LONGER-RANGE OUTLOOK FOR DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY CALLS FOR
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW NORMAL, NORMAL
OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA.
THE LATEST SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK THROUGH JANUARY INDICATES THAT
CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED.
UPDATE STATEMENT...
THIS WILL BE THE LAST STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THESE DROUGHT CONDITIONS
UNLESS THE DROUGHT RE-INTENSIFIES.
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