Alabama is known for its hot summers, mild winters, and humid climate. Although the state experiences a large total annual rainfall (about 55 to 65 inches), the overall precipitation varies throughout the year and across the region. This results in alternating times of above-normal rainfall and periods of drought.

No Stranger to Drought

Extreme conditions can occur rapidly and have devastating impacts on Alabama agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental sectors. Agriculture, which is the foundation of many state counties, is arguably most affected by drought. Reduced water availability leads to a decline in crop and livestock health, diminished harvest and pasture yields, and increased irrigation costs. This harms producers who rely on healthy commodities to make a living, and subsequently, the public, which relies on producers for food and materials.

Alabama ecosystems and industries are affected by drought in many other ways. Water scarcity affects public water availability for municipal and local water supplies and for industries that use that water supply. Reduced streamflow negatively affects aquatic habitats, while a drier landscape increases forest wildfire risk. As the climate continues to change, the frequency and intensity of droughts could be exacerbated, making water management plans and policies integral to building resilience in Alabama.

Drought Management and Planning in Alabama

Alabama entities manage and communicate drought conditions in several ways. The Alabama Office of the State Climatologist, in coordination with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) Office of Water Resources (OWR) and members of the Monitoring and Impact Group (MIG), provides weekly recommendations to the US Drought Monitor map of Alabama. The OWR uses that input and the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) map to release and revise Alabama Drought Declarations that help local watershed managers make vital water usage decisions during periods of drought. The Alabama Office of the State Climatologist also collaborates with Alabama Drought Reach, a statewide drought communication and engagement program, to create outreach material focused on drought conditions and agricultural impacts. Alabama also has four legal codes pertaining to drought management. These are outlined in more depth in the Southeast Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) comprehensive assessment, but the overall role of each legal code is explained in table 1.

How Often Is Alabama Experiencing Drought?

Data from the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), a weekly map depicting drought conditions in the United States since 2000, reveals that drought is common in Alabama. The USDM map displays the spatial extent and severity of drought in six main categories:

• Normal or wet conditions
• D0 Abnormally Dry
• D1 Moderate Drought
• D2 Severe Drought
• D3 Extreme Drought
• D4 Exceptional Drought

Over the past two decades, at least a quarter of the state has been dry (at least D0) 45 percent of the time. Similarly, at least a quarter of the state has been in a designated drought category (D1 or greater) 22 percent of the time (figure 1). As expected, the greatest category percentage for dryness is D0 Abnormally Dry. Often, areas will experience abnormally dry conditions without experiencing any significant drought impacts.

Figure 1. The percentage of time that at least a quarter of Alabama has been in each drought category, based on data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“Alabama is no stranger to droughts. Any given year, some area of the state is likely to experience dry conditions that could impact crops or our water resources. We have experienced major, multiyear droughts over the last century. If such extremes have happened before, they can certainly happen again and be even worse. It is important to understand our risk and have plans in place to ensure we are climate resilient,” Lee Ellenburg, Alabama Office of the State Climatologist, comments.

The U.S. Drought Monitor also creates ready-made tables visualizing the percentage of each drought category in Alabama every week (figure 2). This temporal scale highlights some of the most noteworthy droughts in Alabama since 2000, including events in 2000, 2007–2008, 2011–2012, and rapidly intensifying droughts (flash droughts) in 2016 and the fall of 2019. Flash droughts are especially damaging because they can occur with little warning and often strike agricultural areas during the most water-sensitive stages of their growing seasons.

Figure 2. The percentage of area in Alabama that falls within the U.S. Drought Monitor categories each week since 2000, based on data provided by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Stay Aware and Be Prepared

How can you stay aware of drought conditions and help contribute to Alabama drought monitoring efforts? Programs such as Alabama Drought Reach are dedicated to improving drought communication and statewide agricultural impact reporting. Drought affects everyone. Stay up to date on current drought conditions in Alabama by following Alabama Drought Reach on Twitter and Facebook and by bookmarking the U.S.

Drought Monitor Map of Alabama. Other resources are the Alabama Drought Declarations, the Alabama state drought page from NOAA NIDIS, and the Southeast Drought Early Warning System email list. Sign up for the Alabama Drought Reach newsletter by visiting the AU Water Resources Center website.

Brianne Minton, Climate Services Coordinator, Alabama State Climate Office, and Jessica Curl, Administrator, Instructional Outreach Programs, both in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University

New June 2025, Drought in Alabama, ANR-3155