Spring Precipitation Near Record Low

David Stooksbury

|

Nov. 10, 2009

|

2 min read

See
what region you live in here.

Georgia statewide total precipitation for February
through April was
the second lowest for this period since 1895, according
to the National
Centers for Environmental Prediction. NCEP is a branch
of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

April’s statewide precipitation was the eighth lowest
since 1895. This
follows an unusually dry second half of 1998.

Water
years

In Georgia, October through March are
critical times for soil
moisture, groundwater and reservoir recharge. To
explain this critical
recharge period, climatologists use the concept of the
water year, which
runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. The natural progression
in this period
calls for fall and winter rains to recharge water
sources, followed
by maximum use by plants during the spring and summer.
The cycle begins
again in the fall.

Large moisture shortages during the recharge
period, like
Georgia has had this winter and spring, can have
serious implications
for the Georgia economy. This is especially true
during a hot summer,
which is predicted this year.

Precipitation scale

Using a 100-point scale, with 1 being dry
and 100 being wet,
the total precipitation for the current water year
(October through
April) is in the bottom 5th percentile in west
central, central, southwest
and south central Georgia. The rest of the state is
near the 10th percentile,
except for the northwest corner, which is near the
30th.

Not much
promise

Georgia is entering the peak growing season
with little soil
moisture reserve. And outlooks don’t promise much
relief. The NCEP outlook
for the next two weeks is for decreased soil moisture
across the state.
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center calls for an
increased likelihood of
warmer-than-normal weather for June through August.
That would accelerate
the loss of moisture from the soil.