By David Emory Stooksbury
University of
Georgia
Moderate agricultural drought now covers most of the state as
mild agricultural drought spreads into all of north Georgia. Only
southeast Georgia now has near-normal soil moisture conditions
for mid-to-late June.
Mild to moderate agricultural drought generally exists north and
west of a line from Brooks to Coffee to Toombs to Lincoln
counties.
Moderate agricultural drought exists north and west of a line
from Thomas to Crisp to Toombs to Washington to Elbert counties
and south of a line from Floyd to Lumpkin to Stephens counties.
In the mild agricultural drought regions, soil moisture loss over
the past 30 days has been between 4 and 5 inches. In the moderate
agricultural drought regions, 30-day soil moisture loss has been
between 5 and 7 inches.
Drying out
Continued high water use by plants, high evaporation rates and
little rain have caused soils to dry very quickly across the
state. In regions not getting rain, soil moisture loss over the
past seven days has been between 1.3 and 1.5 inches.
While tropical storm Alberto brought beneficial rains to extreme
south central, southeast and coastal Georgia, most of rest of the
state had little if any rainfall over the past week.
During the past 30 days, the following University of Georgia
automated weather stations have recorded less than 1 inch of
rain: Alpharetta, Bledsoe Experiment Farm, Byromville, Byron,
Pine Mountain, Cordele, Covington, Dallas, Dawson, Duluth,
Dunwoody, Eatonton, Fort Valley, Griffin, Jeffersonville, Sasser
and Watkinsville.
U.S. Geological Survey stream gauges are showing low flows across
the entire state. Many streams are near the 10th percentile for
the date.
At the 10th percentile, we expect the stream flow to be greater
than the current value in 90 years out of 100 for the current
date.
Groundwater, too
Groundwater levels are below normal statewide and are dropping.
Water releases combined with below-normal inflows have led the
state’s major reservoirs to drop below normal summer pool over
the past several weeks. Farm ponds are showing the impacts of the
dry, hot weather.
The normal recharge season for streams, groundwater and
reservoirs is over. Stream, groundwater and reservoir levels are
expected to keep dropping through summer into fall if the state
continues to have dry or normal weather.
The most likely source of widespread drought relief this summer
and fall will come from the tropics. If Georgia doesn’t have any
more tropical activity this summer, then the summer will probably
be hot and dry.
Comprehensive drought information, including current statewide
outdoor watering use schedules, may be found at www.georgiadrought.org.
Real-time weather and climate conditions, including soil moisture
balance, may be found at www.georgiaweather.net.
(David Emory Stooksbury is the state climatologist and a
professor of engineering and atmospheric sciences in the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.)
