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| Tuesday, February 9, 2010 |
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North Alabama drought status worst in country
Published June 14, 2007
It's a well-known fact, Jackson County and most all of North Alabama are entrenched in a drought of historic proportions.
The drought, according to the NWS (National Weather Service) and the U.S. Drought Monitor, has reached exceptional status. North Alabama has the unenviable designation of being in the worst-in-the-nation drought situation.
Exceptional drought (D4) is the most serious in a five-level classification system used by the U.S. Drought Monitor. It is indicative of a once-in-fifty year occurrence.
Spotty showers that occurred late last week and over the weekend did little to help the situation as rainfall amounts of one-quarter to one-third of an inch fell on scattered areas across North Alabama. A small portion of Northwest Alabama did see a little more rain than most of the Tennessee Valley and is in the extreme drought (D3) category.
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, at the recommendation of the Alabama Forestry Commission, declared a drought emergency on Friday. The order, which marks the highest level of state drought action and support, includes a no-burn order that has been widely misunderstood.
The no-burn order affects 33 counties, mainly in the northern half of the state, and prohibits all outdoor burning and “to discharge any type of fireworks except over water.” Jackson, DeKalb, Madison and Marshall counties are included in the ban.
Organized commercial or municipal displays of fireworks may be authorized by the State Forester upon written request, according to Coleen Vansant, public information manager with the Alabama Forestry Commission. The prolonged drought conditions have created an atmosphere where the chance of catastrophic fire activity is high.
Mandatory water use restrictions have not been put in place in Jackson or any adjacent counties but several local water systems have asked customers to voluntarily conserve.
Farmers and cattle are suffering. With soil moisture at all-time lows crops aren't growing and cattlemen are finding it difficult to feed their herds. Local extension agents across North Alabama are reporting "poor" to "very poor" crop conditions and low yields of hay.
Alabama's U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions have asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to consider 19 counties in North Alabama for a disaster declaration because of the drought.
"The severe drought is having a devastating effect on Alabama farmers," said Shelby. "There are also cattlemen throughout Alabama who are faced with limited grazing, no hay and high corn prices and therefore are being forced to sell underweight cattle or liquidate their entire cow-calf operation."
In asking for the declaration Shelby said, "I urge the Secretary to provide this funding, which will address the needs of Alabama's farmers who are on the cusp of losing everything. The long-term ramifications of these events are significant for the cattleman, farmer and consumer."
Through June 11 the NWS Huntsville office has received 10.91 inches of rain, a deficit of 17.63 inches since Jan. 1, 2007. The area is approximately 50 inches below expected levels since Jan. 1, 2005.
A shower or thunderstorm is possible through Saturday. The rain, if any, will not provide any widespread relief and even with normal precipitation through the summer drought conditions are expected to persist through August.
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