September came to an end with the eastern Carolinas being doused byonce-Tropical Storm Nicole's torrential rain. The rest of the South missed outon that rain and is now in the midst of a drought.Since the start of September, the Deep South has received significantly lessrainfall than normal. The rainfall total in New Orleans since Sept. 1 stands at0.44 of an inch. That is only 6 percent of the 7.06 inches that typically poursdown.
Due to the severe rainfall shortage, it is not surprising that a drought isunderway across much of the Deep South. The United States Drought Monitorreported on Tuesday that drought conditions have reached extreme levels overparts of Louisiana and Alabama.
Looking forward in time, no widespread rain is in sight through midweek andbeyond. True, a cold front will settle southward with widely separated showersand thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, these will make almost nodent in the growing rainfall deficit.
Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologists Kristina Pydynowski and JimAndrews
