Browse Climate Stories - Page 15

Drought conditions continue to intensify across most of Georgia. Since the end of May, conditions in the southern two-thirds of the state have deteriorated from extreme to exceptional drought, the highest drought category. Portions of northwest Georgia have now entered moderate drought conditions.

The heat was on. Rain was scarce, and drought expanded across Georgia in May. The state got a reprieve from the waves of severe weather, which swept through in April, but scattered wind and hail damage did occur.

Through at least the middle of August, most of Georgia will likely be warmer and drier than normal. The weather outlook for the mountain counties is less certain.

Drought conditions worsened across most of Georgia during May. With well-below-normal rain and temperatures routinely in the 90s, soils continued to dry. The southern half of the state is being hit the hardest.

Three separate waves of severe storms ripped through Georgia last month. Warmer-than-normal temperatures may have contributed to the development of these severe episodes. But most of the state, except far-northern counties, remains drier than normal.

The drought conditions now gripping the southern two-thirds of Georgia are expected to last through the summer, with a chance conditions could worsen through at least the middle of August.

A report this week from the Foreign Agricultural Service and the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council shows U.S. poultry meat exports in February increased by 15 percent in quantity and nearly 18 percent in value over the same month last year. This signals an improvement in the world economy, but also shows the value of our ports and agriculture’s driving force to improve our economic situation.

The Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network, operated by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is in jeopardy due to key faculty and funding losses. Georgia farmers depend on the network for weather, soil and water information that helps them make the quick decisions needed to efficiently produce their crops.

Georgia’s unusually cold winter means that two of Georgia’s most famously sweet crops are at risk later this winter or early spring.

Cold temperatures and heavy snow crippled north Georgia in January. Despite heavier-than-normal snowfall, precipitation amounts were below normal, increasing drought conditions across the state.