Drought Information Statement for North and Central Georgia Valid December 11, 2025 Issued By: NWS Atlanta / Peachtree City, GA Contact Information: sr-ffc.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated December 24, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ffc/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/ffc/drought for additional resources. RECENT RAINFALL YIELDS SMALL IMPROVEMENTS OVER NORTH & CENTRAL GA Severe Drought persists over portions of north and central Georgia. Extreme Drought ends over metro Atlanta counties. Additional improvements are expected through the winter months. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for Georgia Drought intensity and extent for north and central Georgia: D4 (Exceptional Drought): None. D3 (Extreme Drought): None. D2 (Severe Drought): Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Chattahoochee, Clayton, Coweta, Crawford, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Emanuel, Fayette, Glascock, Hancock, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscogee, Peach, Pike, Pulaski, Schley, Spalding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Upson, Warren, Washington, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson D1 (Moderate Drought): Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Greene, Gwinnett, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Morgan, Murray, Newton, North Fulton, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Polk, Putnam, Rockdale, South Fulton, Taliaferro, Troup, Wilkes D0: (Abnormally Dry): Catoosa, Chattooga, Clarke, Dade, Gordon, Oconee, Pickens, Union, Walker, Walton, Whitfield Drought_by_Week_2025 - Google Sheets Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 2-week and 4-week change map for Georgia. Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change Drought Worsened: Baldwin, Bibb, Bleckley, Crawford, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Emanuel, Fannin, Gilmer, Glascock, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Laurens, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Murray, Peach, Pulaski, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Taylor, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs No Change: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Dade, Dawson, Floyd, Forsyth, Gordon, Greene, Hall, Haralson, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Muscogee, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Putnam Drought Improved: Carroll, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Harris, Henry, Meriwether, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, Stewart, Troup Precipitation - Past 30 Days Over the last 30 days, rainfall over Georgia has generally ranged from 1.5 to 4 inches (30 to 80 percent of normal), with isolated areas of western Georgia receiving 4 to 5 inches (100 to 120 percent of normal). Rain has generally occurred over 1-2 days, with large dry periods in between events. Last 30 Days Last 60 Days Rainfall % Normal Rainfall % Normal Rome (KRMG) 2.48" 55% 5.19" 64% Athens (KAHN) 2.03" 53% 5.4" 76% Peachtree-DeKalb (KPDK) 2.45" 60% 5.76" 76% Fulton County (KFTY) 2.24" 60% 5.56" 77% Atlanta (KATL) 2.99" 74% 6.79" 90% Peachtree City (KFFC) 3.08" 79% 5.85" 81% Macon (KMCN) 1.67" 46% 2.65" 42% Columbus (KCSG) 2.42" 57% 3.67" 52% The Additional Rainfall Information product (MISATL) is available online at weather.gov/ffc. Through Thursday, December 11, at 8 AM: Temperatures - Past 30 Days Over the 30 day period ending December 7 (left image), high temperatures over north and central Georgia were 1 to 3 degrees above normal, with pockets of near normal high temperatures over far north Georgia and the greater Macon area. For the 7 days ending December 7 (right image) high temperatures were more than 8 degrees below normal. Last 30 Days Average High (Departure) Average Low (Departure) Rome (KRMG) 64.3° (+3.5°) 41.3° (+4.4°) Athens (KAHN) 61.9° (+0.5°) 40.4° (+1.1°) Peachtree-DeKalb (KPDK) 62.2° (+2.3°) 39.9° (+1.3°) Fulton County (KFTY) 61.0° (0.0°) 38.4° (0.0°) Atlanta (KATL) 62.0° (+1.0°) 43.3° (+1.6°) Peachtree City (KFFC) 61.3° (-0.7°) 38.5° (+1.6°) Macon (KMCN) 65.8° (0.0°) 39.7° (-0.2°) Columbus (KCSG) 64.4° (-0.7°) 43.2° (-0.1°) Through Wednesday, December 10: *Note, the table values are for the period November 11-December 10, 2025. The images have a latency and are valid for November 8-December 7, 2025 (30 days), and December 1-7, 2025 (7 days). Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter (DIR) Hydrologic Impacts Overall, 7-day streamflow averages have improved since last update, with the majority of the mainstem rivers within normal range. Within north and central Georgia, the lowest 7-day average streamflows are in the Coosa basin in north Georgia. Agricultural Impacts Recent rainfall and improved soil moisture have helped facilitate winter planting, where occurring. Farmers continue to report supplemental feeding of livestock due to the lack of grazing. Holding ponds have seen some improvements with recent rainfall. The Crop Progress & Condition graph is available through November. Fire Hazard Impacts Wildfire risk continues to be high enough that leaf and yard waste burning continues to be discouraged, despite the improvements in soil moisture and recent rainfall. See slide 9 for more details. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Main Takeaways Streamflows have improved since the last Drought Information Statement, with the majority of streamflows in the mainstem river basins now considered normal. Below normal 7-day average streamflow is still present in the Coosa River Basin in northwest Georgia. Lake and Reservoir levels are beginning to reflect a combination of the fall drawdown period and the persistent dry conditions. The available elevation curves for USACE projects in the NWS Peachtree City area show Carters in Action Zone 1, Lake Lanier and West Point in Action Zone 2, while Allatoona remains at the top of the conservation pool. Image Caption: USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid December 10, 2025. Agricultural Impacts Though soil moisture has recovered over north Georgia, soils remain quite dry across the central and eastern Georgia (image right). A more active weather pattern in the last week provided sufficient rainfall over central Georgia to show large improvement in soil moisture (image far right). Image Captions: Left: 0-200cm Relative Soil Moisture from NASA SPoRT valid December 11, 2025. Right: 0-200 cm Relative Soil Moisture 2-week Change from NASA SPoRT valid through December 11, 2025 Fire Hazard Impacts Keetch Byram Drought Index values are significantly lower across north and central Georgia. Over north Georgia, improved values range from 0 to 300, and even in the driest areas of central Georgia, values are generally under 500. At this time, normal wildland fire potential is expected for the northwestern two-thirds of Georgia for January 2026, as indicated in the Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook (far right). South and east central Georgia have an above normal wildland fire potential. Image Captions: Above: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook for January 2026. Left: Keetch Byram Drought Index for December 11, 2025. Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. The Wildfire Potential Outlook for next week indicates Little or No Risk for Georgia. Seven-Day Precipitation Forecast The 7-day outlook (through Thursday, December 18): The forecast indicates two potential events with the potential to produce light rain over the state: Saturday night and Sunday, Wednesday through Thursday morning. For the 7-days, rainfall amounts are forecast to be under 0.5 inches. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage For the rest of December: Above normal temperatures are expected for north and central Georgia (right). Above normal precipitation is expected, with the highest potential confined between I-20 and a line generally from Columbus, to Macon, to Louisville (far right). Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought is expected to improve or end through the rest of December. Drought Information Statements will be updated every two weeks while D2 Severe Drought (or worse) continues in north and central Georgia.