Drought Information Statement for Central Alabama Valid October 16, 2025 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 October 16, 2024. Drought intensity and Extent D4 Exceptional Drought: None. D3 Extreme Drought: Has expanded to include much of the southwest counties. D2 Severe Drought: Continues to expand across the southwest and now in a few areas in the east and southeast. D1 Moderate Drought: Most of the area is now in D1 or worse. D0 Abnormally Dry: The northern tier of counties has had the most rain during this dry spell but is still abnormally dry. A cold front will move through the area Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Although there could be some rainfall associated with the system, no significant drought relief is expected over the next 10 days. 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: Most of the area has seen drought intensity increase No Change: Limited to areas mainly across the northwest. Drought Improved: None. Precipitation Last 30 days National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Very dry conditions have persisted across much of the deep south over the past 30 days. Most locations across central Alabama have received 25% or less of average rainfall. Average weekly rainfall for the month of October should be around 0.50 to 0.75 inches per week. October is typically the driest month of the year and can be highly dependent on tropical systems for rainfall. Summary of Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Hydrologic Impacts Streamflows are continuing to slowly worsen across most of the area. Agricultural Impacts No updates from the USDA have been reported. Fire Hazard Impacts A Fire Danger Advisory is in effect for the entire state. 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 Although streamflows over the past 7 days show much of the area as normal (green), the values shown are in the lower percentiles of the normal range with conditions continuing to worsen. Agricultural Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Soil Moistures have continued to decrease over the past 7 days with all of Alabama showing below normal soil moisture. Thus far, the dry weather has prevented planting of winter crops. Cotton, peanut and soybean harvest are near completion. Cattle were reported to be in good to fair condition, while pastures were in poor to fair condition. Cattle continue to be fed supplemental hay. Crop reports will be discontinued for the winter season starting December. Fire Hazard Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Keetch Byram Drought Index values are averaging over 600 over most of the central Alabama area. Risks for fires are elevated. Fire Hazard Impacts National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The Alabama drought declaration map has all of Alabama in either an advisory, watch or warning status. Click the link at the bottom of the page for more information. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Rainfall amounts over the next 7 days will vary from the northwest to the southeast as a weakening cold front moves through the area. Many of the driest locations will continue to receive very little rainfall. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Continued hot temperatures and a lack of rainfall over the next 1-2 weeks will lead to continued Rapid Onset Drought impacts in south-central Texas. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage National Weather Service Birmingham, AL The outlook for the remainder of October is calling for higher chances of above normal temperatures across the area. Rainfall probabilities are calling for near normal chances of average rainfall but no significant drought altering rainfall is expected. Drought Outlook National Weather Service Birmingham, AL Drought conditions are expected to worsen over the month of October.