Drought anxiety lingers

Madison County saw some much-needed rain over the weekend.

Why it matters: If these conditions persist, the area is in for a rough summer agriculturally, Huntir Cramer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Huntsville, told Axios.

State of play: The U.S. Drought Monitor puts Madison County in a severe drought, as of Friday, and there's little rain in the forecast.

• An abnormally dry March has contributed to a year-to-date rain total that's 4.71 inches below normal, and the first 17 days of April had only produced less than half an inch of rain in the area.

What they're saying: "I don't think it's going to help much," Cramer said. "Any rainfall that we receive will be extremely beneficial, but this is not going to pull us out of the weeds yet."

• Rainfall amounts in the past 90 days have been about 50-75% of normal, she said, and rain over the weekend was expected to total between a half-inch and one inch.
• Elevated fire weather will persist, too, an NWS notice says, and windy conditions will accompany a cold front moving in this week.

What we're watching: The week ahead will follow a pattern of warm, dry days with no rain in the forecast, but Cramer pointed to the longer-term, 8-14 day forecast.

• Up to 1.5 inches of rain is expected by the end of the week, per the latest NWS drought update, as well as about a 50% chance for up to an inch of rain April 24-25.
• But even that, Kramer says, won't make a big impact.