Drought Update

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
900 AM CDT THU NOV 15 2007
...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA...

SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILED ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA DURING MUCH OF THE PAST WEEK PRODUCING DRY CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...A COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT PRODUCING SOME MUCH NEED RAINFALL. THE RAIN WAS INSUFFICIENT...HOWEVER...TO PROVIDE ANY SIGNIFICANT RELIEF FROM THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT...THE AREA OF EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT HAS BEEN EXPANDED SLIGHTLY WEST AND SOUTH ON THE LATEST U.S.DROUGHT MONITOR. THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR NOW HAS THE EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT AREA EAST OF A LINE FROM NEAR ADDISON TO BERRY TO JUST WEST OF MARION TO LOWNDESBORO TO CLAYTON. SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO THE WEST OF THIS AREA AS FAR AS ALINE FROM JUST WEST OF HAMILTON TO GAINESVILLE TO DIXONS MILL.AREAS TO THE WEST OF THIS IN EXTREME WEST ALABAMA CONTINUE IN MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THE DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFIES DROUGHT WITHIN ONE OF THESE FIVE CATEGORIES:

1) ABNORMALLY DRY
2) MODERATE
3) SEVERE
4) EXTREME
5) EXCEPTIONAL

DURING THE PAST WEEK HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILED WITH MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS. A COLD FRONT PUSHED ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA OVERNIGHT PRODUCING WIDESPREAD MODERATE RAINFALL. RAINFALL AVERAGED BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE INCH. HOWEVER...THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH TO PROVIDE ANY LONGTERM RELIEF TO THE SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS. NORMAL RAINFALL FOR NOVEMBER ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA AVERAGES BETWEEN FOUR AND FIVE INCHES.

SOME PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FOR CENTRAL ALABAMA JANUARY 1ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 14TH:

BIRMINGHAM 26.07
MONTGOMERY 32.11
ANNISTON 17.32
TUSCALOOSA 22.10
CALERA 28.72
TROY 33.44

AVERAGE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED AND DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL FROM JANUARY 1ST THROUGH NOVEMBER 14TH:

BIRMINGHAM 46.97 DOWN 20.90
MONTGOMERY 47.14 DOWN 15.03
ANNISTON 45.48 DOWN 28.16
TUSCALOOSA 49.56 DOWN 27.46

HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS...
STREAMFLOWS CONTINUED TO DECLINE DURING THE PAST WEEK...BUT THE RAINFALL OVERNIGHT HAS TEMPORARILY CAUSED A FEW STREAMS TO RETURN TO A NORMAL FLOW FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORTS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA`S STREAM GAGES ARE STILL REPORTING BELOW NORMAL FLOWS...WITH MANY AT ALL TIME LOWS.

MAJOR RIVER AND RESERVOIR LEVELS CONTINUE MUCH BELOW NORMAL WITH SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS CONTINUING. POOL LEVELS IN MOST MAJOR RESERVOIRS ARE AT OR BELOW NORMAL WINTER LEVELS...WITH SOME NEAR OR AT RECORD LOW LEVELS. SOME OF THE MOST SERIOUS IMPACTS CONTINUE ON THE COOSA AND TALLAPOOSA RIVERS. ALEXANDER CITY HAS EXTENDED WATERLINES DEEPER INTO THE LAKE TO MAINTAIN ITS WATER SUPPLY. ALABAMA POWER COMPANY REPORTS THAT HYDRO POWER PRODUCTION HAS BEEN REDUCED BY ALMOST TWO THIRDS DUE TO THE VERY LOW STREAMFLOWS AND RESERVOIR LEVELS. NAVIGATION ON THE ALABAMA RIVER BELOW MONTGOMERY ALSO CONTINUES TO BE IMPACTED BY LOW RIVER STAGES. GRADUAL DECREASES IN RIVER AND LAKE LEVELS WILL CONTINUE IF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL DOES NOT OCCUR. IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL INCHES OF RAINFALL TO PRODUCE ANY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RESERVOIR LEVELS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA.