Drought In Alabama
By
Bonita Wilborn
Unlike
how Western movies portray the end of a drought, where the characters rejoice by
dancing in the rain and cheering that the drought is finally over, simply
because we’ve received a little rainfall lately doesn’t mean the drought is
over; we’re still in a drought.
According
to Wikipedia, a drought is
an event of prolonged shortages in water supply and can last for months or
years. It can have a substantial impact on the
ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region and harm the
local economy. Annual dry seasons
significantly increase the chances of a drought developing and subsequent bush
fires. Periods of heat can considerably worsen
drought conditions by hastening evaporation of water vapor. Drought is a recurring feature of the climate
in most parts of the world.
Think
about it this way: If you are seriously
in debt, say $1 million, and you somehow receive 1 thousand dollars to pay on
your debt, does that mean you are out of debt?
Of course not! A thousand dollars
is a good payment to be able to make at one time, but you would still owe $999,000
of the original debt.
The
current drought situation is similar to that.
This week’s Drought
Monitor report shows that 33.74% of the state of Alabama is abnormally dry,
with the driest spots landing in eastern, central, and north Alabama. Nearly 13% of the state is in moderate
drought, and 1% is rated in severe drought.
According to the National Weather Service,
soil moisture levels are running below normal in parts of Alabama for this time
of year, and “significant” rainfall is needed to alleviate the situation.
“The
drought is not over, it’s not over, it’s a long shot from being
over!” said National Weather Service meteorologist Chelly Amin.
Some
parts of north Alabama are still 10 to 12 inches away from being where we need
to be in terms of rainfall. Lack of rain
for prolonged periods can cause the ground to be hard like cement; the result
is that those hard rainfalls tend to run right off the ground into creeks,
rivers, and sewers, instead of being absorbed.
If you get slow rainfall that can seep into the very dry soil, it’s
going to be a lot more beneficial than a really big burst of 5 or 6 inches of
rainfall. Some parts of north Alabama
still need nearly a foot of rain before they are back on track.
According
to the Drought Map, Jackson County is still among the
counties with the worst drought conditions in Alabama.
Forestry officials say those conditions are fueling fires. Crews
responded to a fire in Higdon last week.
Once the smoke was spotted near the home of Harold Gray, it was reported
that within an hour, two to three acres of land had burned.
According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, fire is capable of
spreading that fast because of the conditions right now. Not only is there a lot of wind up on the
mountain in Higdon, but the grass can catch on fire easily because of the
drought; also, this time of year, there are lots of leaves and pine needles on
the ground.
So even though rainy days can often make us feel gloomy, we’re
still in a drought situation, so let’s try to celebrate the rain we’re getting,
like the folks in the Western movies, instead of complaining about it.
