MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Earlier this year, the Gulf Coast was locked in a significant drought. By the end of April, Mobile had received less than 2½ inches of rain for the month, and the area was running roughly 10 to 12 inches below normal for the year. Severe to extreme drought had expanded across much of the region. Then the pattern flipped dramatically. Mobile picked up nearly 18 inches of rain in May — setting a new all-time record for May rainfall — followed by another 7.96 inches in June. Those two months alone brought nearly 26 inches of rain, erasing the rainfall deficit and allowing the drought to lose its grip on the region.
But the weather has turned dry again. Mobile received just 3.82 inches of rain in July, nearly four inches below normal, while temperatures averaged above normal and the city recorded 28 days at or above 90 degrees. The annual rainfall surplus created by the wet spring was already gone by the end of July, with Mobile running 1.65 inches below normal for the year. Now, as August brings an even stronger upper-level ridge and potentially dangerous heat, the concern is not simply a return to drought — but how quickly one could develop.
This is where the term flash drought comes in. Unlike a traditional drought that develops gradually over many months, a flash drought can intensify in just a few weeks. It typically occurs when rainfall suddenly shuts off while extreme heat, abundant sunshine, low humidity or persistent dry air dramatically increase evaporation and pull moisture out of the soil. Plants and crops begin to experience stress, streams and ponds can drop, and the ground can go from adequately moist to unusually dry in a surprisingly short period of time…