Marion County is in an extreme drought, down nearly a foot of rain from what is considered normal for the area even after the recent rainfall.
The revelation was made by the U.S. Drought Monitor which keeps tabs on the amount of rainfall above or below normal for areas across the nation. In the case of its most recent survey, Marion County is part of a swath that runs south from Alabama toward the northeast into central east Tennessee.
Marion County missed its initial chances at a soaking rain that some other drought stricken areas received from the recent hurricane and tropical storms.
Tropical rainfall from Hurricane Francine and Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight delivered widespread, heavy rain across much of Alabama and North Carolina, respectively. Francine’s downpours spilled into southwestern Georgia and western Florida.
One to locally two-category drought reductions were noted where extreme rainfall occurred, especially in parts of Alabama, as drought turned to flash flooding. However, worsening drought conditions were noted in several areas, including portions of South Carolina, northern Georgia, and western Virginia. On September 15, Virginia led the region with topsoil moisture rated 64% very short to short, followed by South Carolina at 55%.
