Jan. 27—Even after days beneath a thin layer of ice chased with a healthy shot of rain to wash the chill away, all of Cullman County looks set to end the month of January, at least on paper, in the throes of a persisting drought that’s been hanging around north Alabama since autumn.

Between 1′-3″ of rain fell across the county over the past three days, only a week after a similar amount of precipitation had fallen across the area in the form of sleet, freezing rain and snow. But according to the predictive outlook of the National Integrated Drought Information System — the drought-watching arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the county’s current “severe” drought condition is set only to improve, but not to end, by Thursday, Feb. 1.

All of the county remained classified under the D2 “severe” drought descriptor that the U.S. Drought Monitor, via NIDIS, designates among its five stages of drought conditions. That’s a step better than the D3 “extreme” drought that covers much of neighboring Blount and Marshall counties, as well as portions of Etowah and DeKalb farther east, but still beneath historical averages for this time of year.

The U.S. Drought Monitor describes the location and intensity of drought conditions nationwide using five classifications, ranging from “abnormally dry” (D0) at the lowest end and “exceptional” (D4) at its most severe. Cullman County’s D3 “severe” drought classification, at its worst, may be marked by low pooling or evaporation of local ponds, decreased production of hydroelectric power at water-deprived reservoirs, and, depending on the season, damage and reduced production of field crops and forage.

Saturday’s forecast calls for another round of area-wide rain — including the possibility that a few storms could be severe — before a drier, slightly cooler period sets in that persists through most of next week.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.