DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
155 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2008
...A SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT PREVAILS OVER A LARGE PORTION OF
NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA...
...A MODERATE DROUGHT TO ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATE THE
REMAINDER OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...
SEVERAL DAYS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL AS
WIDESPREAD RAIN FROM TROPICAL DEPRESSION FAY...BROUGHT RELIEF TO
THE DROUGHT STRICKEN AREAS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES OCCURRED OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS. AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH
FAY PRODUCED AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES FROM GRANTVILLE THROUGH
THOMASTON AND FORSYTH TO AMERICUS IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND 6 TO
10 INCHES FROM HIAWASSEE TO JASPER TO GAINESVILLE AND HOMER IN
NORTHEAST GEORGIA. UNFORTUNATELY...THERE WERE SCATTERED LOCATIONS
MAINLY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA THAT RECEIVED AROUND ONE INCH.
THE RAINFALL DEFICITS GENERALLY DECREASED AND THE SOIL MOISTURE
IMPROVED ACROSS MOST SECTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING
THE PAST TWO WEEKS. CONSEQUENTLY...A SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT
PREVAILED OVER MOST OF NORTH AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA...NORTH OF A
LINE FROM CEDARTOWN THROUGH GRIFFIN AND EASTMAN TO SWAINSBORO. A
MODERATE DROUGHT TO ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS PREVAILED OVER THE
REMAINDER OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.
WHILE THERE HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL RAINFALL FOR SHALLOW ROOTED PLANTS
AND GRASSES...SIGNIFICANT HYDROLOGICAL IMPACTS TO WATER SUPPLY...
STREAM FLOWS AND GROUND WATER TABLES CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH
AND EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS INCLUDES THE LAKE LANIER BASIN.
WHILE THERE HAS BEEN IMPROVEMENT...IT CONTINUES TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY
IMPACTED BY THE LONG TERM EXTREME DROUGHT.
SEE http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/raindef.shtml FOR THE LATEST
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IMAGE AND OTHER DROUGHT RELATED INFORMATION.
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CLIMATE IMPACTS
GENERALLY 75 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL OCCURRED OVER NORTH
AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS. GREATER RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OVER A PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA WERE
FROM 300 TO 400 PERCENT OF NORMAL.
LOCATION TOTAL RAINFALL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
LAST 365 DAYS VALUE FROM NORMAL OF NORMAL
ATLANTA 41.30 50.24 -8.94 82%
ATHENS 33.48 47.87 -14.39 70%
COLUMBUS 46.68 48.64 -1.96 96%
MACON 45.05 45.05 0.00 100%
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RESERVOIRS/STREAM LEVELS
CURRENT LAKE LEVELS AT USACE PROJECTS WERE MAINLY FROM NEAR SUMMER
POOL LEVEL AT WEST POINT TO AROUND 15 FEET BELOW AT LANIER. THE
POOL LEVELS ARE PROJECTED TO SLOWLY FALL DURING THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS.
LAKE SUMMER POOL CURRENT LEVEL DEPARTURE
IN FEET
ALLATOONA 840 837.34 -2.66
CARTERS 1074 1072.00 -2.00
HARTWELL 660 645.96 -14.04
LANIER 1071 1055.62 -15.38
THURMOND 330 315.75 -14.25
WEST POINT 635 635.24 +0.24
AVERAGE STREAM LEVELS FOR THE PAST 7 DAYS WERE GENERALLY 3 TO 77
PERCENT OF NORMAL FLOW IN MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO
AREAS OF RECENT RAINFALL...MAINLY ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL
DEPRESSION FAY.
PLEASE NOTE THAT CREEKS AND SMALLER RIVERS CAN CHANGE QUICKLY DUE TO
RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN IF IT OCCURS.
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FIRE DANGER LEVELS
THE LATEST FIRE DANGER ASSESSMENT INDICATES A HIGH RISK ACROSS THE
EASTERN SECTIONS TO A LOW RISK ACROSS THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF
GEORGIA.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ASSESSMENT CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY DUE TO CHANGES
IN MOISTURE LEVELS AND RAINFALL RECEIVED.
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TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK
THE OUTLOOK FOR SEPTEMBER...EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURE ARE EXPECTED. EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED OVER NORTH GEORGIA...AND ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL GEORGIA THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE PEAK TROPICAL CYCLONE SEASON.
90 DAY OUTLOOK...FOR SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER...EQUAL CHANCES OF
ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED.
THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO IMPROVE AND IMPACTS EASE DURING
THESE FALL MONTHS.
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THIS DATA WAS FURNISHED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...THE GEORGIA STATE
CLIMATOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA...THE GEORGIA
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION...AND THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS. CURRENT FIRE DANGER ASSESSMENTS WERE PROVIDED BY THE
GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION.
THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY
...SEPTEMBER 18 2008.
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