ATLANTA — The summer of 2011 is beginning with two different drought stories depending where you live in Georgia.
Severe Weather Team 2 meteorologist David Chandley said Tuesday that parts of north Georgia are experiencing no drought to abnormally dry conditions, despite ten straight days of 90 degree temperatures.
However, most of central and south Georgia are in extreme drought conditions or level 3 intensity set by federal officials.
Most of metro Atlanta is in the abnormally dry to moderate drought category but rainfall over the past month has been half of our normal amount and stream flows are low, according to Chandley.
North Georgia Drought Status IM
The hot, dry weather is not impacting our lakes like in 2008. Alatoona Lake is at full summer pool and Lake Lanier is only 2 feet from full summer pool, and just below the June average.
The real fall line runs from Columbus to Macon to Augusta. South of that line is where the drought situation is a huge concern as some areas are reporting record low stream flows, Chandley said.
Right now the drought of 2011 is more agricultural than hydrological and Chandley said the hope is for tropical rains to soak the parched soils in the next several months.