Drought Information Statement for Central Alabama Valid April 24, 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. DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSEN OVER CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH THE EXPANSION OF D3 ACROSS MANY LOCATIONS IN THE WEST. Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: None. D3 Extreme Drought: Numerous counties across the southern half of the county warning area experiencing extreme drought conditions. D2 and D1 Severe/Moderate Drought: The rest of the area is experiencing either severe or moderate drought. D0 Abnormally Dry: None U.S. Drought Monitor Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Almost the entire area had at least a 1 category change toward worse drought conditions. No Change and Drought Improvement: There were no areas of improvement with this update and only a few locations with no change. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows are generally running well below normal with some at all time lows for this time of 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. Planting in some areas is being delayed. Much of Alabama’s pasture and rangeland is rated in “poor” or “very poor” conditions. Fire Hazard Impacts There has been an increased amount of wildfire activity across Central Alabama over the past couple of weeks and the state has issued a fire alert. Other Impacts None Drought Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions & Impacts Streamflows are running much below to extremely below normal. Some navigation issues are expected for barge traffic on the lower Alabama River. Agricultural Impacts Soil Moisture continues steady decline even as intermittent rainfall occurs. Fire Hazard Impacts Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. There have been an increase of wildfires across central Alabama the past couple of weeks due to the drought conditions. The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) has issued a statewide Fire Alert. Several local municipalities have issued their own “no burn” notices. The remainder of April shows an above average potential for fires for the southern half of Alabama. The outlook May is calling for normal wildfire conditions across the state. State Alerts Link to Alabama Forestry Commission The latest Alabama drought declaration map has all of Alabama in either an watch or warning status. Click the link at the bottom of the page for more information. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms will be possible through the end of April. Most of this rainfall is expected in the northwestern third of the state with much less accumulation in the southern locations Alabama. Whatever amount does fall will not be enough to improve the long term effects of the current drought but there could be some short term improvements and especially in the north. Medium Range Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. 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 near normal chances across the north with slightly higher than average chances in the south. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage. The latest seasonal outlook released by the CPC on April 16th and valid through July, shows a mix of improvement and persistence across the area.