Drought conditions return to north Ga.

UNDATED - Drought conditions have returned to most of Georgia since the first of the year, except for a few counties in the northwest part of the state.

That is a big change from January 1 when a large swath of North Georgia was drought-free.

Now, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of North Georgia is suffering some level of drought. All of Northeast Georgia, for example, is considered "abnormally dry" or in a "moderate" drought. That is also true of the metro Atlanta area and parts of the state to the west of Atlanta.

But for most of middle and south Georgia "extreme" drought conditions prevail with pockets of "exceptional" drought... the worst-case category.