ATHENS, Ga. — Despite recent rains, extreme
drought conditions
returned to central Georgia last week. The southern third of the
state is still in severe
drought. The rest of the state, except the northwest, is having
mild to moderate drought.

Conditions are near normal in the northwest.

Regions in severe to extreme drought need 8.5 to 10 inches of
rain to end the drought.

Total rainfall for June 22-28 ranged from 0.51 inches at
Statesboro to 4.93 inches at
Pine Mountain. Many stations reported more than 1.5 inches during
the week. However,
rainfall in central Georgia was generally less than an inch.

Moisture Short in One-third of
State Soils

Weekly rainfall totals include 0.74 inches at Dearing, 0.96
at Dublin, 0.71 at
Midville, 0.51 at Statesboro and 0.52 at Vidalia. More than 3
inches was reported at Alma,
Arlington, Dawson, Dixie, Pine Mountain, Savannah and
Watkinsville.

The Georgia
Agricultural Statistical Service
reports that moisture is short to very short in 33 percent of
the state’s soils. Nearly
two-thirds — 61 percent — of the soils have enough moisture
for current needs.

The cotton, peanut and soybean crops improved with the
recent rains.

The combined soil moisture loss through evaporation and
transpiration (called
evapotranspiration) was low last week. Only Calhoun, Midville,
Savannah and Vidalia
reported more than an inch of total loss of moisture.

Evapotranspiration Will
Increase

With the return to temperatures in the middle to upper 90s
expected by the Fourth of
July weekend, soil moisture loss through evapotranspiration
will increase. It will exceed
1.5 inches this week if temperatures reach the 90s.

While recent rains have brought helpful moisture to most of
Georgia, the drought is
still a concern, especially in the main farming regions.

Even with recent rains, plants under stress don’t have a
large soil moisture reserve. A
hot week in the middle to upper 90s with little rain will
quickly dry out the soils. Crops
will then return to stress conditions.

For More
Information

You can read daily updates on the drought at the University
of Georgia drought Web site
(www.griffin.
peachnet.edu/caes/drought/).
Or contact your county extension
agent.

Rainfall data is from the UGA Automated
Environmental Monitoring Network. Drought conditions are
based on the Palmer
Drought Severity Index, which is calculated by the National
Weather Service Climate Prediction
Center.