ATLANTA — With how hot and dry June has finished, a 'flash drought' is developing across parts of Georgia.
The drought expanded in north Georgia in the last week, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. As of June 27, parts of the western and southern Atlanta metro area are now in a "Moderate Drought."
This includes parts of Fulton, Cobb, Clayton, Douglas, Cherokee, Fayette, Coweta, Henry, Spalding, Pike, Lamar, Butts, Jasper and Putnam counties.
Now, about 25% of the state is in "Moderate Drought." Atlanta has a rain deficit of 2.9 inches in June to date. Last week, less than 3% of the state was experiencing drought. This quickly developing drought has been caused by the hot weather over the last two weeks.
This expansion includes more of Coweta County, where this week, Coweta County Water & Sewerage Authority has been asking residents to conserve water as demand grows.
The Climate Prediction Center has been monitoring rain trends for this month and early July, and earlier this month, highlighted a possible 'flash drought' development for the north Georgia area. They define a flash drought as "the rapid onset or intensification of drought. It is set in motion by lower-than-normal precipitation rates, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures, winds, and radiation. Together, these weather changes can rapidly alter the local climate."
June's high temperatures have been much warmer than average, including Atlanta's first 100° temperature in 5 years, tying a 110-year-old record high on June 26.
Although scattered showers and storms are possible through the weekend, they likely won't be enough to significantly reduce our drought situation. Based on rain and soil condition data from Tuesday, July 2, the next drought monitor will be released on Thursday, July 4.