Photo by Jay Stone
July 10, 2024
www.gfb.org
Vol. 6 No. 13
DRY CONDITIONS BALLOON TO COVER NEARLY ALL THE STATE In the span of three weeks – from June 11 to July 3 – some level of drought has spread from 25 counties around Metro Atlanta to 158 counties statewide. Only Candler County and most of Evans, Montgomery, Toombs and significant parts of Bulloch, Liberty, Screven and Tattnall showed normal moisture levels according to the July 3 report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Of the 158 abnormally dry counties, moderate drought conditions were reported in all or part of 104 counties. Another 16 counties’ drought conditions had progressed to severe drought, the third of five levels of dryness intensity on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), both Atlanta (100 degrees Fahrenheit) and Macon (102 degrees) tied record high temperatures on June 26. Through the month of June, Georgia temperatures were two degrees above normal. The NWS July outlook, issued on June 20, predicted that most of the state had a 60-70% chance of higher-than-normal temperatures, but most of the state had a 30-60% chance of greater-than-normal amounts of precipitation. Corn plants normally green during the summer have turned to light yellow if they are not under irrigation. Additionally, with parched pastures in many areas, livestock owners resorted to feeding hay to their animals according to published reports. UGA Agricultural Climatologist Pam Knox wrote in the July 3 post of the Climate and Agriculture in the Southeast blog that some crops may already be lost. Knox said the current drought is considered a “flash drought,” or rapid onset drought. “It is a rapid onset drought where the conditions get worse very quickly,’ Knox told GFB media. “That certainly is the characteristic we've seen this year, where if you look at the drought monitor, the categories are changing by one category a week, which is in a few cases I think even two categories in a week.” Knox noted that the drought has hit corn particularly hard, explaining that extensive rains in April and May delayed planting for many farmers, pushing back the growth of the corn plants. “The really dry conditions have hit at a very bad time, especially for corn because corn needs moisture when it’s pollinating and a lot of the dry land corn just looks pretty miserable. When I’ve -continued on next page