Alabama is a lady-in-waiting.
Waiting for rain.
And, very anxious.
Showers and thunderstorms continue to increase in number as they move further inland from the Gulf coastal area. Some locally heavy rain now over Mobile and Baldwin Counties, as well as the south third of Mississippi.
Meanwhile, more showers and thunderstorms were moving eastward from North Texas and Arkansas, as well as Louisiana.
So, as we throw all of this into the pie, what does it all mean? We believe that we have the best chance of beneficial rain over a broader area than we have had in a long time. It is true we have had some good downpours within the last week, but they were spotty and everybody did not get a piece of the pie.
This time we believe, in the next 24 to 36 hours, that many communties in Alabama will receive some substantial amounts of rain. As always, everyone will not be treated equally. We think across Central Alabama that 1/2 to 1 inch of rain will be a good average for the storm total. Some areas will get more.
Droughts have a habit of feeding on themselves, so this is definitely not total relief from the drought by any means.
Chuck Biddinger, one of our daily readers, suggested that we remind folks that have outdoor pets to be sure and keep a fresh supply of water for them. Those water dishes can evaporate quickly.
Interesting note this afternoon from Chris Reese, who lives in Coker and not far from the Tuscaloosa Airport. He reports that his rain deficit for 2007 is getting close to 21 inches. That part of Alabama is right in there with much of North and Central Alabama as the driest part in the state so far this year. We do not have a recent tally from Tuscaloosa Airport, but as of last Thursday, they had only received 8.82 inches since January 1. That would make their deficit for the year-to-date of 19.81 inches. Over on the east side of the state as of Thursday, Anniston had 8.92 inches so far this year–a deficit of 18.39.
We appreciate the report from Chris.
FLASH FLOODING
It was extremely serious yesterday and overnight in Central and North Texas. A very dramatic water rescue this morning shown live on KDFW-TV in Dallas. The rescue was at Sherman on US-82 in North Texas. At least 2 people have died in flash flooding overnight. It was very devastating to see the photograph of a beautiful four-year-old girl who was swept out of her mother’s arms by raging flood waters well before daybreak this morning in the edge of Fort Worth.
TROPICAL PROSPECTS
Still no indication of a tropical depression in the near future. There are some minor disturbances, but they do not hold much promise at the moment.
