DROUGHT !!.... Here We Go Again!

This is really getting old

Where do you live? We've gotten huge rains in the past 3 months.

Jus saw on the news 93% of Alabama is abnormally dry or worse. When did North Alabama's drought start last year?

Say what? We still got some mud puddles in Lee county.

Late summer. Probably July as I recall. Ask 257, I bet he remembers

wow, I didn't realize folks weren't getting rain. We have been fortunate here in NE AL so far, I was in TX last week and they had records rainfall for them as well... so much so there that it made the hunting "bad" by their definition = great by AL standards

last year started here July

plenty of rain so far this spring

I have dead pines all over, prolly a dozen right now, mostly big trees

Drought started in NE AL as early as April,May. Got some rain but no nearly as much as we do normal years. Really affected hay production for cattlemen.

Yep, same pattern already setting up for us now that we had last year. We aren't too dry yet but the same weather pattern is setting up as it did last year, rain is going above and below us. It's rained NE of us every day this week, but missed us. Surface moisture is drying up quick.

There are 100's or 1000's of dead Leyland cypress trees here that are dead. White pines took a beating too and I think there's gonna wind up being lots and lots of dead oaks too. It's a little early to tell but I think we've got a bunch of dead ones on our place.

The main reason I think it's going to be dry again is that droughts as bad as last year are typically not one year droughts.

We're in drought condition in Chilton county.

Baldwin county farmers are bedded up to plant but no peanuts dropped in yet. Watering sod so they can cut it.

I have many pines dead and a bunch of red oak and water oaks dead as well.

Last year we had a pretty good rainfall until we didn't. From September 2nd until mid November, we didn't get a drop of rain, and it had been real dry way up north of us for a long time before our last rainfall.

Today is, I think, 15 days since our last rain, and 'Huntress is watering trees this afternoon/evening. We got most of our irrigation system built while I was home this last time, hopefully will finish it up when I get back again...then, watering the entire orchard will take less than half an hour!

That describes my situation exactly. But the winter we didn't recoup the lack rain in the fall. I've turkey hunted places that is normally too wet during turkey season. We also have a small water hole that normally doesn't dry up until late June/early July that is dry now.

For those talking about dead pines you ain't seen nothing yet if this persist. The pines are already stressed from last summer/fall/winter drought. Thus, some will be pushed over edge quicker. They also need rain to produce sap which is used by the tree to fight off pine beetles. Because where we are starting this year in my area, it could be bad like I've never seen.

The Drought Monitor says we are off to a bad start for Spring.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/RegionalDroughtMonitor.aspx?southeast

Going to be another tough year for timberland owners in some parts of the South. Drought triggered ips beetle and southern pine beetle outbreaks. Loggers are staying busy with salvage cuts but landowners are taking a beating on price. Now there is a a second wave of distressed timber stands in those same areas. Landowners are having to go back and cut even more, but this time even more aggressively with 2nd thinning or clearcutting entire stands ahead of schedule. Stumpage prices continue to drop as the extra volume floods the market. Mills are making better margin but the landowner is in a lose-lose situation. Cut now and you get pinched on price. Wait for the market to improve and you run the risk of losing large tracts to extended drought damage.

For the spring, yea its dry. We've had one day of rain in the last 10 days at the house, and when i say 1 day, it rained for an hour. Usually, in the spring, it rains 2-3 times a week.

Yep we were in stall mode last year waiting on the market then the drought hit, then we got beetles. Now prices are so it makes it hard to want to cut especially when your trees are your family's retirement. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I've been all over the state this week and have seen tons and tons of dead trees from last year's drought. I think the worst I've seen was around montevallo where the bedrock is really shallow.

Same here. Damn beetles.

Yep. Currently 93.16% of the state is in at least some category of drought. This time last year, and we know how bad last year was, 0.00% of the state was in some category of drought. This year could make last year look good.

Hot as Hades right now and its only mid-April.

We are basically 2.5 weeks removed from being under threat of killing frosts and it feels like July already. Usual spring-time pattern around here is rain at least 2-3 x weekly like someone else said, and here we are going on day 16 or 17 of no rain. In April. That's unheard of. Gonna be a bad one this year.

Not goin to be any May flowers this year.

So when does the flood start?

My pond has already quit running; it's usually August before that happens. I planted some corn and milo this week; probably a waste of time and money.

Last year was the poorest deer I've ever seen in my area. Not the usual fat on the rump down the straps or inside on the loins. Was it the drought??? I don't know but it surely didn't help. We were in good shape until Sept. which is our normal start to dryness with Oct. the driest month. But it got abnorminally dry and didn't catch up in the winter and now starting out hotter and drier than normal. If last year poor deer was due to a few months drought, what will 12 - 18 months of drought do to all wildlife?? What's it going to do to a lot of peoples lives??

I saw a lot of lean deer this past season also.
Especially the does. Especially the younger does.

*******

Just noticed that one of my beautiful monument ancient pine trees on my Big Hill is dying. Thing is giant. Now all the top is brown. Guess that old age and the 2016 drought finished it off.

No hope for my centipede if it happens again this year

It appears there is actually some water falling from the sky.

we "might" of gotten 1/2" yesterday and this am.

I'll take it.

edit, checked my guage, 3/4" + 1/4 yesterday..1 "

We in trouble now. Got maybe 1/10th. Was counting on this one. Gambled and lost.

I got less than .1". Totally sux. I think the corn I planted 2 weeks ago will be a bust. RR corn and nitrogen fertilizer ain't cheap. If it comes up now, as dry as the ground is, I don't have high hopes for it to do very well unless we get substantial rain in may.

Less than a 1/4" here. I'll take it but more, much more, is needed. West Cullman County.

.32" here in Luverne.

2.1" of rain here in north Horton.

Looks like this system coming in is going to be a drought buster, flood warnings are up for a big piece of west Alabama.

I sure hope so. It's definitely not too late for us to still have a bad drought but things are at least shaping up for a much better early summer than last year.



We got that, then .5" later in the week and it's raining now again! I'm loving it and so thankful for it.

I'm missing it every time. Once again, right at 1/10th if some more doesn't happen tonight. Last year we where catching all of it until Sept.

Now we have gotten it. Much needed!

Ain't no drought here right now.

Got it good!!! 2.2"!! That will hold us about a week.

According to the map Walker Co is still in a draught but it don't seem like it if you look at the water standing in my garden.

I think the USDA maps are updated on Wed or Thursday each week.

http://www.weather.gov/bmx/rainfallplots