Drought Information Statement for Central Alabama Valid May 21, 2026 Issued By: NWS Birmingham, AL This product will be updated only if drought conditions change significantly. DROUGHT CONDITIONS REMAIN STEADY ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA. Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: None. D3 Extreme Drought: A few counties in the southeast continue to have extreme drought conditions. D2 and D1 Severe/Moderate Drought: Most of the remaining area is experiencing either severe or moderate drought. D0 Abnormally Dry: A few counties in the northwest are now showing abnormally dry conditions. U.S. Drought Monitor Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Over the past 4 weeks, the worst of the drought locations have seen no change in status. No Change and Drought Improvement: Most of the area had some minor improvement or no change within the past 4 weeks. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Following a week of dry and hot conditions, streamflows returned to below normal levels at most locations. Ongoing rainfall is started to bump some of those values up in the northwest. 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 the spring in some areas was 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 within the last two months and the statewide fire alert remains in effect at this time. Other Impacts None Drought Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions & Impacts With most of the last week being dry, below normal streamflows have returned as temperatures rose and dry weather continued. Some navigation issues may be possible for barge traffic on the lower Alabama River. Agricultural Impacts Very dry top soils continue over most of the area. These particular maps can change dramatically in a short amount of time during periods of peak dryness or heavy rainfall. Fire Hazard Impacts There have been an increase of wildfires across central Alabama over the past couple of months 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. For the upcoming month of June, the current outlook calls for a normal wildfire potential. This is a slight improvement of the month of May which had a heightened threat over the coastal counties. The next monthly update for these maps will be on June 1st and some change is possible. State Alerts 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 and any new updates. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast The next 7 days will feature a wetter period for not only Central Alabama, but for most of the deep south. This will allow for some temporary improvements at a minimum, and could hopefully see a reset to the overall pattern to include daily scattered thunderstorm chances. Typically, Central Alabama should average around 1.00 to 1.5 inches of rainfall each week for May. Two Week Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The two week outlook, beginning on May 27th and is valid through June 2nd, shows a decent chance of above average temperatures. Rainfall probabilities during this same time-frame are calling for a slight chance of above normal rainfall. Both of these patterns can be very typical for this time of year. 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 30th and valid through July, shows a mix of improvement and persistence across the area. This map should be updated at the end of May to show the summer forecast.