Even coming rains may not help ease drought

Showers and thunderstorms expected to pass through the Tennessee Valley today and tonight, dumping up to an inch of rain in some communities, will do little to erase one of the worst droughts on record.

"It looks like this is going to be a pretty good rain event. Even if we get several more rain systems like this one before the end of the year, it looks like 2007 is still going to be one of the driest years ever for north Alabama," said Michelle Parcus, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Birmingham.

The Shoals is more than 15 inches below normal for rainfall this year. Through Saturday, slightly more than 34 inches of rain had been recorded at Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals.

This year is on target to become one of five driest since record-keeping began in 1873. The Shoals received 40.1 inches of rain in 1960, the fifth driest year on record in the Shoals. "Even if we have normal rainfall the remainder of the year, this is still going to a very dry year," Parcus said. Normal rainfall for December is 5.44 inches.

Parcus said there is nothing in long-range forecasts to indicate rainfall will be above normal during the final five weeks of 2007. So far this month, 2.43 inches of rain have fallen, which is 1.34 inches below normal.

Rain is also possible Monday and Wednesday through Friday.

A cold front moving through the Tennessee Valley will spark today's showers, Parcus said. Other cold fronts this fall have provided rain that was welcome by area farmers and foresters.

John Kasmeier Jr. and his son, Kevin, were hoping to begin planting winter wheat Monday. If today's rain comes to fruition, they will have to delay their plans. John Kasmeier isn't overly worried about having to postpone the wheat planting. "We've planted wheat as late as Christmas. We've still got time to plant wheat. Right now, we need the rain."

A lack of rain during the summer reduced the yield of many cotton and corn fields around the Tennessee Valley.

It also parched pastures and hay fields, causing some farmers to sell part of their cattle herds in hopes of preventing running out of food for their animals this winter.

Randall Armstrong, Lauderdale County coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said the scattered rain and mild weather this fall has allowed some farmers to grow rye grass and other winter forages in their pastures that will provide food for cattle and other livestock this winter.

Armstrong said area farmers welcome every drop of rain that falls this fall and winter.

Area foresters also welcome the rain.

Numerous wildfires struck the Shoals in October, including a series of fires started by arsonists in Colbert County that blackened 350 acres. The Alabama Forestry Commission continues to search for the arsonist that started the fire.

Even with the recent rain, the potential for wildfires promoted the U.S. Forest Service to ban outdoor fires in the Bankhead National Forest through at least Dec. 7. The ban includes campfires and stove fires.

The recent rain also has been helpful to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which has struggled much of the year to keep is major reservoirs. TVA spokesman Gil Francis said the utility was unable to bring most of its tributary reservoirs, including the Bear Creek lakes in Franklin and Marion counties, to summer levels because of the lack of rain.

"If we had not gone to minimum flows on the Tennessee River in February like we did, we would have had a hard time bringing the main stem reservoirs to summer level and keeping them there," Francis said. "Fortunately, we were able to keep the main reservoirs within their normal operating range all summer."

Other rivers in Alabama, including the Chattahoochee, Coosa and Alabama, have been plagued by low water levels this year, causing many utility systems to enforce mandatory water conservation restrictions.

Russellville Utilities is asking its customers to voluntarily conserve water and switched to an auxiliary water source in October after the dry weather caused the level of Lake Elliott, its primary reservoir, to fall.

In the Lawrence County, Tenn., town of Summertown, mandatory water restrictions are being enforced. The dry weather caused the level to the utility district's water supply levels to fall.

"We've been real fortunate in north Alabama that the level of the Tennessee River has not fallen like a lot of other rivers around the South have done this year. "Hopefully, the rain we're going to get this week will help TVA keep the river levels where they need to be," Parcus said.

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@timesdaily.com.