Drought Information Statement for Central Alabama Valid March 12, 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 March 10, 2026 Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: None. D3 and D2 Extreme/Severe Drought: Includes several counties in the southeast part of the state. D1 and D0 Moderate Drought/Abnormally Dry: Includes the rest of central Alabama. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 4-week change map for central Alabama National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Mainly in the northern and western locations of the area. No Change and Drought Improvement: About half of the area experienced no change with a small area of one category improvement in the southeast. Precipitation Last 30 days National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Dry conditions persist across much of the deep south over the past 30 days. There have been some pockets of replenishing rain, but overall, rainfall estimates are running at about half the normal amount for the past 30 days. March's average weekly rainfall should be around 1.45 inches with monthly totals averaging around 5.50 to 6 inches. Data over the past 30 days ending March 11, 2026 Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows as of Tuesday, March 10th, were generally running well below normal for this time of the year. 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 so far this year. Currently, all fires are 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 The next seven days will be relatively dry across the area. There will be a frontal system move through late Sunday, the 15th, that will bring around a half inch of additional precipitation. After Sunday, it is expected to remain dry through much of mid March. 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 and valid through the end of May shows no some improvement gradually occurring across parts of the area with drought expected to persist in the southeast. CPC Seasonal Drought Outlook Released February, 2026 and valid now through May 2026. The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage THIS SLIDE IS REQUIRED State Drought Declaration National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The latest Alabama Drought declaration released on March 5th has placed much of the southern and eastern counties in a warning with watches throughout the rest of the state.