DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
323 AM EDT THU AUG 7 2008
...AN EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT PREVAILS OVER NORTHEAST
GEORGIA...
...SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS DOMINATE OVER THE REMAINDER OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...
SEVERAL DAYS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT SOME
RELIEF TO THE DROUGHT STRICKEN AREAS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OCCURRED OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH
AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS. SCATTERED HIGHER
AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES WERE AROUND BLUE RIDGE...AROUND CAVE SPRING
IN SOUTHWEST FLOYD COUNTY...FROM DOUGLASVILLE TO UNION CITY IN THE
ATLANTA METRO AREA...AND AROUND COMMERCE. UNFORTUNATELY...THERE WERE
SCATTERED LOCATIONS MAINLY ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA THAT RECEIVED ONE
INCH OR LESS.
THE RAINFALL DEFICITS REMAINED STEADY OR CONTINUED TO WORSEN AND THE
SOIL MOISTURE DECLINED ACROSS MOST SECTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL
GEORGIA DURING THE PAST TWO WEEKS. CONSEQUENTLY...AN EXTREME TO
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT PREVAILED OVER NORTHEAST GEORGIA...EAST AND
NORTH OF A LINE FROM BLUE RIDGE AND JASPER THROUGH ALPHARETTA AND
COVINGTON TO CRAWFORDVILLE AND AUGUSTA. SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS
PREVAILED OVER THE REMAINDER OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA.
WHILE THERE HAS BEEN SOME BENEFICIAL RAINFALL FOR SHALLOW ROOTED
PLANTS AND GRASSES...SIGNIFICANT HYDROLOGICAL IMPACTS TO WATER
SUPPLY...STREAM FLOWS AND GROUND WATER TABLES CONTINUE OVER MOST OF
NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. THIS INCLUDES THE LAKE LANIER BASIN WHICH
HAS BEEN 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 25 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL OCCURRED OVER NORTH
AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DURING THE PAST 14 DAYS. GREATER RAINFALL
AMOUNTS OVER ISOLATED LOCATIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA WERE
FROM 100 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL.
LOCATION TOTAL RAINFALL NORMAL DEPARTURE PERCENT
LAST 365 DAYS VALUE FROM NORMAL OF NORMAL
ATLANTA 41.84 50.25 -8.41 83%
ATHENS 32.42 47.86 -15.44 68%
COLUMBUS 43.67 48.61 -4.94 90%
MACON 44.39 45.04 -0.65 99%
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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 16 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 840 837.18 -2.82
CARTERS 1074 1072.91 -1.09
HARTWELL 660 647.19 -12.81
LANIER 1071 1054.79 -16.21
THURMOND 330 317.05 -12.95
WEST POINT 635 635.34 +0.34
AVERAGE STREAM LEVELS FOR THE PAST 7 DAYS WERE GENERALLY 1 TO 40
PERCENT OF NORMAL FLOW IN MOST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO
AREAS OF RECENT RAINFALL. THE EXCEPTION WAS NEAR 65 PERCENT ON
SWEETWATER CREEK DUE TO AROUND 4 INCHES OF RAIN LAST WEEK IN THAT
BASIN.
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 TO VERY HIGH RISK
ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL 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
FOR AUGUST...THE OUTLOOK FOR NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA...ABOVE
NORTH TEMPERATURE AND EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED. THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST
OVER NORTH AND CENTRAL GEORGIA UNLESS WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT RAIN IS
RECEIVED FROM A TROPICAL CYCLONE.
90 DAY OUTLOOK...FOR AUGUST THROUGH OCTOBER...EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE
OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED.
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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
...AUGUST 21 2008.
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