The drought continues to intensify across North Georgia. Cornelia had a 22 day stretch with no precipitation that finally came to an end with 1/4-1/3″ falling over the weekend. This was much needed and helped with short term fire issues but it did very little to impact the several month long dry stretch we are currently in.
The latest drought monitor released last Thursday shows the entire region in at least a moderate drought, with the northwestern part of the state now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest category.
This drought is widespread — across the entire Southeast — and numerous wildfires have been reported across areas of North Carolina over the past week. There have also been brush fires and a wildfire in Northeast Georgia. The conditions are hazardous for outdoor burning.
The good news is that while it does continue to look relatively dry in the long term there are rain chances. Right now, though, these rain chances look to mostly be light. The latest 10 day rainfall outlook from the GFS model shows only around 1/2″ or less through Thanksgiving.
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The Euro model is a little more optimistic with up to around 1″ in the same timeframe.
Unfortunately it does appear that the drought will continue a little longer. Looking towards December it is likely we get out of this dry pattern at some point thanks to the El Nino in the Pacific but when that happens is unknown.
For now continue to use extreme caution with any fires and keep an eye on any local burn bans or ordinances.
