Alabama drought conditions lessen after some areas see up to 17 inches of rain in May

After more than a month of severe + extreme drought conditions across the state, heavy rain over the final days of May have brought some relief in Alabama.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, there are no areas of the state under severe or extreme drought conditions for the first time since August 2025.

Keep reading to see more numbers from the U.S. Drought Monitor + official rain measurements from the National Weather Service.

Alabama drought monitor

At the beginning of May, 88% of the state was considered to be in a severe drought with 47% in an extreme drought. But heavy rainfall across most of the state has lowered those numbers dramatically in the last two weeks.

More than 16% of the state does not have a designation from the Drought Monitor. That’s the highest percentage since November 2025.

Just 40.98% is considered to be in a moderate drought, most of which is in the southeast portion of the state. That’s the lowest percentage since September 2025.

The Drought Monitor still estimates 1.7 million people live in areas considered abnormally dry as the year-to-date rainfall remains below average.

Alabama rainfall totals in May 2026

While it was a slow start to the month, the rain eventually came in bunches by the end of May with some areas even setting record highs.

Here’s a look at the total rainfall numbers by inches in areas around the state according to the National Weather Service:

• Birmingham: 3.66
• Dothan: 7.67
• Huntsville: 8.42
• Mobile: 17.99 (new May record)
• Montgomery: 7.16
• Muscle Shoals: 6.67
• Tuscaloosa: 4.43

For comparison, most of the state averages between 4-6 inches of precipitation during the month of May.