Drought Officially Declared in North Mississippi and West Alabama

Pontotoc, MISS. (WCBI) – Drought conditions have officially been declared in parts of the WCBI Viewing Area.

The latest outlook from the US Drought Monitor classifies moderate drought conditions for parts of Lafayette, Union, Pontotoc, Chickasaw, Calhoun, Itawamba, Monroe, Lamar and Marion counties.

The rest of the WCBI viewing area is classified as “abnormally dry”.

Locally, moderate drought conditions have been declared from Oxford to Houston to New Albany, and from Tremont to Hamilton, AL.

A regional look at the Drought Monitor. Parts of Alabama and Georgia are classified in “extreme” drought.

September is traditionally the driest month out of the year, averaging less than 4 inches of rainfall.

However, September 2019 was one of the driest and hottest Septembers on record across the region.  Most spots saw no rain, with a few observation sites reporting anywhere from a trace to a few hundredths of an inch.

Due to the dry conditions, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant declared a Statewide burn ban until further notice.

While in 2019 we continue to see a surplus of rain by over one foot, the last real measurable rainfall seen in the Columbus area was near the end of August, and the area has not seen a classic widespread rain event since late July into early August.

Given the latest forecast, some rain is expected over the next 7 days, but it will not be enough to slow the drought’s progression in the region.  Find the full forecast on WCBI.com/weather.