Rains Improving Drought Conditions In Alabama

Heavy rains have helped ease drought conditions in Alabama, but about one-third of the state remains unusually dry. The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows about two-thirds of the state is drought-free, a big improvement from just a few weeks ago. But a third of the state remains abnormally dry or in a drought. Dry conditions cover a wedge-shaped area extending from the Hale-Bibb county line eastward to the Georgia line. Conditions are worst in about a dozen counties that include the Auburn area. Conditions are best from southwestern Alabama into the Tennessee Valley region. The weather service says parts of west and central Alabama received as much as 10 inches of rain earlier this week from the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.