ATLANTA — The drought in north Georgia is getting worse as we close out the final days of summer. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, September 19th, shows that a sliver of Dade and Walker counties are now in Level 3 'Extreme' drought.
Level 2 'Severe' drought has also expanded through northwest and north-central Georgia. It now encompasses over 4% of the state, including portions of Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Pickens, Dawson, Towns, and Union counties.
Metro Atlanta remains in a Level 1 'Moderate' drought. This drought monitor is based on conditions and rainfall through early Tuesday.
As drought conditions worsen, impacts on agriculture worsen. Streams and creeks also run low or dry. Drought can also play a role in this fall's foliage season.
Trees become stressed in moderate and severe drought, and as it worsens to Extreme drought, Premature Leaf Drop is common. This means the leaves turn a dull brown and fall off before they can reveal any more vibrant colors.
Although drought is worsening in north Georgia, there have been some improvements to our southwest. That's because the rain amounts from the remnants of Francine varied widely last week and through the weekend. Atlanta picked up just 0.42" of rain in a four-day stretch, and Athens a meager 0.21".
Meanwhile in Columbus, where training storms caused flash flooding, rain amounted to 5.13" in that same time frame. The strong wedge in north Georgia helped to suppress rain potential and severe weather chances.
But in Columbus, outside that wedge, along with central Alabama, plentiful tropical moisture brought heavy rains over several days. So both locations had similar drought improvements.
Dry weather lasts through this weekend in Atlanta. By mid-next week, models show signs of a little more moisture.
The next U.S. drought monitor will be released Thursday, September 26th, based on data from the previous Tuesday.
