MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Drought conditions are improving in Alabama, but conditions are still too dry for farmers in the southeastern corner of the state.
An assessment released this week by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows about 40% of the state is either abnormally dry or in a drought. The area includes the homes of about 440,000 people statewide.
The current situation represents an improvement of about 3 percentage points from a week before. But it's much worse than a year ago, when nearly all of the state had adequate rain.
Conditions are worst in southeast Alabama, where agriculture is big. Much of Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties are in a severe drought, and the rest of the region is experiencing a moderate drought.