Drought Information Statement for Central Alabama Valid February 26, 2026 Issued By: NWS Birmingham, AL Contact Information: sr-bmx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated only if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/bmx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Image Caption: U.S. Drought Monitor valid February 24, 2026 Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: None. D3 Extreme Drought: A small area in the southeast part of the state. D2 and D1 Severe/Moderate Drought: Mainly in the southeast corner and eastern portions of the area but also includes locations around Demopolis. D0 Abnormally Dry: Most of central Alabama is considered abnormally dry with a slight expansion of dry conditions since the previous update. Recent Change in Drought Intensity National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Northern and Central portions of the area with pockets of degradation in the south. No Change and Drought Improvement: About half of the area experienced no change with a small area of one category improvement in the southwest. Precipitation Last 30 days National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Dry conditions persist across much of the deep south over the past 30 days. Rainfall estimates are running at about half the normal amount for the month. February's average weekly rainfall should be around 1.25 inches with monthly totals averaging around 5 inches. Summary of Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows are generally running well below normal with some at all time lows for the day. Agricultural Impacts In January, the USDA designated 19 Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the drought conditions impacting row-crop yields and forage availability. Several of these primary counties are in central and southeastern portions of Central Alabama with contiguous counties including most of Central Alabama. Fire Hazard Impacts There has been an increased amount of wildfire activity across Central Alabama, all contained as of this issuance. Other Impacts None Drought Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Streamflows are running much to extremely below normal. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms are expected across the area today, February 26th, with highest rainfall amounts forecast across our most drought-stricken, southeastern portions of the area. This could result in minor drought improvement across portions of the area. Medium-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The seasonal outlook for the next 3 month period is calling for medium chances of above average temperatures. Rainfall probabilities during this same time-frame are calling for equal chances of above or below normal rainfall. If this pattern verifies, it would lend towards persisting drought conditions. Drought Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The latest seasonal outlook released by the CPC on February 19th shows no areas of improvement across the area with drought expected to persist in the southwest. State Drought Declaration National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The latest Alabama Drought declaration released on February 9th has placed much of the southern counties in a warning with advisories and watches throughout the rest of the state.