Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are getting visits from a familiar foe this month.
A climate monitoring group designated parts of all three states under dry or drought classifications this week.
Thursday’s U.S. Drought Monitor report, produced weekly by the National Drought Mitigation Center, classifies strips of West Georgia and East Alabama as well as a ribbon in East Tennessee as “abnormally dry.”
Drought conditions officially returned to the state on July 6 when the report classified parts of Blount and Sevier counties as experiencing “moderate drought.” The classification is the first time since April 28, 2009, that any portion of Tennessee was listed in drought conditions.
Meteorologist Terry Getz with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., said expected rain in the next week could wash the drought status away.