From the forested mountains of Fannin County to the coastal
plains of Lowndes County,
the ongoing drought in Georgia is expected to worsen during the
next few months.
In the April climate outlook, the most likely scenario is for
below-normal rainfall and
above-normal temperatures statewide.
outlooks are
produced by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Agency‘s
Climate Prediction
Center.
Recent rains have brought only short-term drought relief.
Rains have been helpful for
crops already in the field and for early pasture growth. However,
there remains little or
no soil-moisture reserve statewide.
This lack of soil-moisture reserve is a major concern as
Georgia enters the prime
growing season. There is little hope for improvement over the
next several months.
The news is not any better for April through June. For the
period, the outlook once
again is for an increased probability of below-normal rainfall
and above-normal
temperatures.
The June-through-August outlook predicts an increased
probability of above-normal
temperatures. However, there is some indication that by late
summer, rainfall south of an
Albany-to-Augusta line may be above normal.
Georgians, it appears, will have a long, hot, dry summer.
Above-normal temperatures
will dry the soil further through evaporation and plant
transpiration. The hastened loss
of soil moisture will aggravate drought conditions.
Low Stream Flows, Watering
Bans
Stream flows and reservoir levels are expected to remain low
all summer. Many urban
residents will probably have earlier, longer-lasting watering
bans. With the drought
expected to go on, Georgians need to be saving water.
To learn more about easing drought impacts, contact your
agent or the UGA Drought
Web site, www.griffin.
peachnet.edu/caes/drought/.
