Rainfall and Severe Storms Could Quell Drought in the Southeast US This Coming Week: AccuWeather

Drought has continued across the southeastern United States as of Saturday, July 9, as a dangerous heat wave brings persistent hot weather and dry conditions along the Gulf Coast and its surrounding areas.

However, a new weather forecast from AccuWeather predicted that approaching rainfall and severe storms in the coming week could suppress the dry spell engulfing the region.

The weather outlook is in addition to the below-average temperatures set in the Southeast US in the next few days.

The arrival of renewed showers and severe thunderstorms would also entail the risk of flash flooding. It would also pose the risk of damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes associated with the stormy weather.

The AccuWeather forecast comes several days after the National Weather Service (NWS) issued dangerous and life-threatening heat wave from the Midwest to the Southern US.

The NWS short-range forecast earlier was accompanied by excessive heat warnings and heat advisories in place for multiple areas across the country.

Renewed heat alerts will be in place from Monday, July 11, in multiple areas such as in: Avondale, Buckeye, Cave Creek, New River, central Phoenix, Deer Valley, north Phoenix, Grendale, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, South Mountain, and Ahwatukee.

The Southeast US, which includes Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky, is relatively less hit by drought compared to the country's other regions of Western US and the Southwest US.

The mentioned drought-stricken regions are under persistent heat for most of the year, but a recent monsoonal moisture also led to the occurrence of wet weather.

US Drought Monitor

In the latest US Drought Monitor released on Thursday, July 7, weather authorities from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) stated that extreme heat is dominant in most parts of the country.

This is especially the case in the wildfire-prone state of California, as well as its adjacent areas.

The drought data is based on a five-tier scale under different classifications based on their intensity and impacts, with D0 being the lowest and D4 being the highest level:

• D0 (Abnormally Dry)
• D1 (Moderate Drought
• D2 (Severe Drought)
• D3 (Extreme Drought)
• D4 (Exceptional Drought)

The report showed that 16% of the West region is undergoing a form of drought.

In addition, 63% of the Southeast, 67% of the High Plains, and 50% of the Midwest, as well as 36% of the Northeast regions are currently in drought, as cited by DRGNews.com.

Rain and Storm Forecast

AccuWeather on Friday, July 8, said that the combination of a jet streams this July, a stalled cold front, and moisture over the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are all contributing to the inclement weather.

In particular, the said climatic variables "all play a role" when it comes to determining the intensity, frequency, and number of torrential rain and severe storms across the region.

The hot or main concentration point of the mentioned downpour will from areas in southeastern Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle to areas of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.