CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 08/04/16

Georgia's hot, dry spell will continue despite recent showers

By Pam Knox

About 65 percent of Georgia is experiencing some level of abnormally dry weather or drought, and there are no signs it will break before October.

As summer heads into its home stretch, farmers have been left to tally the impacts of the hot, dry weather.

Throughout the state, dryland crops are doing poorly except where scattered showers happened to hit, while irrigated crops are taking all the water they could absorb.

In north Georgia, the region that has had the longest stretch of drought, farmers are dealing with smaller-than-expected peaches due to the dry weather. Livestock producers in northern Georgia were feeding hay because the pastures were doing so poorly, and hay was being imported into the area from Tennessee to meet the demand. Some north Georgia corn farmers abandoned their crop due to the dry conditions.

One positive impact of the high heat is that irrigated cotton is maturing earlier than normal, which means farmers may be able to harvest in September rather than early October.

Climatologists expect August to start with scattered showers, but to return to drier-than-normal weather at the end of the month. Above-normal temperatures are likely to continue through October, and drier-than-normal conditions are slightly more likely than usual to continue as well.

Precipitation Totals

Almost half of Georgia has received less than 50 percent of its normal rainfall so far this summer.

Columbus, Georgia, recorded its driest July on record based on 115 years of data. Savannah, Georgia, was the second driest, based on 143 years of record, and Augusta and Brunswick, Georgia, were the third driest on record, according to each of those weather stations.

According to National Weather Service reports, Valdosta, Georgia, recorded the highest monthly total rainfall with 9.71 inches, 3.08 inches above normal. Columbus recorded the lowest with 0.96 inches, 3.80 inches below normal.

  • Atlanta recorded 3.66 inches of rain, 1.61 inches below normal.
  • Macon, Georgia, recorded 2.34 inches of rain, 2.61 inches below normal.
  • Savannah recorded 1.21 inches of rain, 4.39 inches below normal.
  • Augusta recorded 1.31 inches of rain, 3.02 inches below normal.
  • Alma, Georgia, recorded 1.63 inches of rain, 3.70 inches below normal.
  • Brunswick recorded 1.29 inches of rain, 2.79 inches below normal.
  • Albany, Georgia, recorded 2.23 inches of rain, 3.23 inches below normal.
  • Rome, Georgia, recorded 1.45 inches of rain, 2.87 inches below normal.

The highest single-day rainfall recorded by Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network volunteers was 3.40 inches, measured northeast of Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia, on July 18, followed by 3.20 inches of rain south of Savannah on the same date.

A volunteer in Garfield, Georgia, in Emanuel County, reported 3.08 inches of rain on July 10. The highest monthly rainfall total, 9.27 inches, was measured east of Midway, Georgia, in Liberty County, followed by 8.31 inches of rain by a second volunteer nearby.

Temperatures

This summer has seen the second or third warmest June-to-July period on record for much of the state. Temperatures ranged from almost 2 to 3.5 degrees above the 1981–2010 average.

  • In Atlanta, the monthly average temperature was 83.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.2 degrees above normal.
  • Athens, Georgia, saw 84.0 F, 3.4 degrees above normal.
  • Columbus saw 84.4 F, 1.9 degrees above normal.
  • Macon saw 85.1 F, 3.3 degrees above normal.
  • Savannah saw 86.1 F, 3.5 degrees above normal.
  • Brunswick saw 85.5 F, 2.7 degrees above normal.
  • Alma saw 84.4 F, 2.4 degrees above normal.
  • Augusta saw 84.6 F, 3.0 degrees above normal.
  • Albany saw 84.9 F, 2.5 degrees above normal.
  • Rome saw 82.4 F, 2.8 degrees above normal.

In spite of the warm conditions, only one temperature record was set in July 2016. Alma reported a nighttime low temperature of 77 degrees on July 8, replacing the old high nighttime temperature of 76 degrees set in 2011. Alma and Brunswick also reported their warmest July temperatures on record, based on almost 70 years of data. Many other stations were in their top five warmest.

Severe weather was observed on 18 days during the month. Almost all of the reports involved scattered wind damage.

For more information, please see the “Climate and Agriculture in the South East” blog at blog.extension.uga.edu/climate/ or visit our webpage at gaclimate.org..Please feel free to email your weather and climate impacts on agriculture to share on the blog to pknox@uga.edu.

Pam Knox is the director of the UGA Weather Network and serves as an agricultural climatologist with the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.

Authors:
Pam Knox
Experts/Sources:
Pam Knox
This summer has seen the second or third warmest June-July period on record for much of the state. Temperatures ranged from almost 2 to 3.5 degrees above the 1981-2010 average.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
HurricaneHeleneGreenhouseDamageCropped CAES News
UGA Extension supports resilience in Georgia farm communities after Hurricane Helene 12/19/24 Emily Cabrera
Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.
A groundbreaking ceremony for a green stormwater demonstration site was held on Nov. 22 at the UGA Research and Education Garden at UGA-Griffin. This site will allow visitors to get a firsthand look at the green infrastructure technology that can be used both in the green industry and in private homes. Pictured are (l-r): Rolando Orellana, urban water management state agent in the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture; Jeffrey Dean, Assistant Provost and Campus Director for UGA Griffin; Bethany Harris, Director of the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture, Joy Hinkle, Grants Unit Manager for Georgia EPD, and Martin Wunderly, UGA Northeast District Extension Area Water Agent. CAES News
UGA-Griffin breaks ground on green stormwater demonstration site 12/11/24 Ashley N Biles
Industry professionals, researchers and the public will soon have access to the latest in sustainable infrastructure technology with the construction of a green stormwater demonstration site at the University of Georgia Research and Education Garden on the UGA Griffin campus. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 22 with plans to complete several demonstration areas by the end of 2024.
At the 2024 Georgia Life Sciences Summit held Oct. 21-22 in Atlanta, Professor Quingguo “Jack” Huang of the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences received the Golden Helix Innovation Award for his research in technologies to mitigate “forever chemicals” in water resources. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker) CAES News
Nothing lasts forever: CAES professor finds solutions to break down ‘forever chemicals’ 12/05/24 Carson McAfee
University of Georgia Professor Qingguo “Jack” Huang always wanted to do one thing: solve problems. Growing up in a small city in central China, Huang’s favorite subject in elementary school was math, granting him the opportunity to work on many problems. In high school, his passion transitioned to science, where he learned he could feed those same interests in a way that benefited others. He was finishing high school in the 1980s when Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring made its way to Chinese newspapers, capturing Huang’s attention.
Georgia Simmons at the office of U.S. Sen. Warnock CAES News
Georgia 4-H alum, CAES student spends semester serving at the nation's Capitol 12/03/24 Josie Smith, Cooper Hardy
Third-year University of Georgia student and Banks County 4-H alum Georgia Simmons has been in the center of the political action this fall with the Georgia 4-H Washington DC Intern Program. Simmons, an environmental resource science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, works in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. As an intern on his staff, she interacts directly with policy experts and lawmakers, participating in the legislative process while earning a semester of credit hours.
Longtime faculty member George Vellidis was named the first permanent director of the Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture. IIPA was launched in 2022 and has grown to include more than 70 faculty members. (Photo by Paul Privette for UGA CAES) CAES News
Vellidis named director of Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture 12/02/24 David Mitchell
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Professor George Vellidis has been named director of the Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture (IIPA). His term began on Nov. 1, and he will serve as the unit’s first permanent director. “Dr. Vellidis has been a vital member of our UGA faculty for years and played a key role in launching IIPA,” said Chris King, interim vice president for research. “Whether it’s his impact as a first-class researcher and educator or the work he does behind the scenes to elevate our reputation in the field abroad, his presence has made UGA a hub for precision agriculture research.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire S. Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.