The drought monitor continues to improve! The latest release from the NWS Climate Prediction Center now only has a tiny but of low-end drought classification in place north of Highway 412 in Maury County, TN and another small area south of the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama. These are driven by long-term rain deficits over the past year, and NOT because of short-term soil moisture or water levels. All of the area the past 30 days has had rainfall ranging from near normal to double what is normal.
The next week or two will be a bit drier though, as an upper-level ridge builds near the area and we get back into a more typical summertime pattern. In fact, for the next seven days, we expect generally less than a quarter inch of rain for the entire area. With El Nino strengthening, however, it is likely that the recent rainy pattern we had the past few weeks will likely repeat off and on as we head through the next few months.
