Much-needed rain is still in the forecast for Alabama later this week as worsening drought conditions continue to grip the state.

The National Weather Service cautioned that this week’s showers aren’t expected to end the ongoing drought, but could keep it from worsening in some areas.

The weather service noted that it’s the best chance of rain the state has seen in several weeks.

Forecasters said to expect more above-average temperatures today, Wednesday and for some on Thursday before a cold front approaches the state.

No severe weather is expected, but instead Alabama will see welcome showers. And those showers could linger into Friday and Saturday, according to the weather service.

Expect the showers to start in north and west Alabama on Thursday and expand to south and east Alabama late Thursday into Friday.

The weather service said much more rain will be needed to end the nearly statewide drought, which is the most severe in north and southwest Alabama.

Forecasters added that wildfire concerns will linger until Alabama gets more rain to moisten up the soil and ease the dryness of brush and vegetation.

How much rain could Alabama get? NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center suggests parts of Alabama could see a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rain over the next week, with parts of central Alabama forecast to get the most. Lesser amounts are expected across the rest of the state (see the map at the top of this post).

Some good news: No severe weather, and likely no thunder, is expected with this week’s rain.

Dry conditions could hang in there through the next week or two. The six- to 10-day precipitation outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center isn’t as optimistic has it was just days ago about more rain in Alabama. The latest outlook, which covers Nov. 12-16, now shows slightly higher probabilities of drier-than-average conditions for north Alabama, while only south Alabama has slightly increased probabilities of above-average rain.

The rest of Alabama has equal chances of above- or below-average rainfall: