BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Recent rains have eliminated the worst drought conditions in the Southeast, but nearly three-quarters of the region, including most of north Georgia, remains well below normal in rainfall.
An analysis released Thursday by the National Drought Mitigation Center shows none of the Southeast is classified as being in an exceptional drought anymore. The improvement follows storms and showers that have moved through the region since early December.
Rainfall at Lee Gilmer Memorial Aiport in Gainesville since Dec. 1 has totaled 5.09 inches, with 2.65 inches falling in December and another 2.44 inches since New Year's Day. The rainy pattern in Gainesville actually began in late November with 2.48 inches falling on the last two days of the month.
Still, more than 18 million people in the South remain in drought conditions, with 73 percent of the region still abnormally dry. Northern Alabama and Georgia are still in an extreme drought, as are slivers of southeastern Tennessee and the western tips of the Carolinas. According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought monitor, which was issued Thursday, most of Georgia is still in some degree of drought.
The drought has been blamed for thousands of wildfires, plus crop losses.
(AccessWDUN's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2017/1/487386/rains-douse-worst-drought-conditions-in-southeast