BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Arid conditions are spreading across Alabama because of a lack of rain, and much of the state’s acreage is now abnormally dry, a federal assessment showed Thursday.
More than half the state’s 67 counties lie within an area stretching from the southwest to the northeast that is drying out, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and a moderate drought has developed in a rural area of southwestern Alabama with about 85,000 residents.
About 37% of the state’s land mass is too dry, the assessment showed, compared to less than 8% at the same time last year.
While Alabama is the driest among states in the Deep South, conditions are far worse in the Southwest, where an exceptional drought covers much of the region.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.