Dry conditions officially crept back into the tri-state area this week as more areas of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama were classified as “abnormally dry.”
Parts of Bradley, McMinn and Polk counties in Tennessee were classified as dry on the U.S. Drought Mitigation Center’s Drought Monitor report Thursday.
Portions of Georgia’s Whitfield, Murray, Gordon, Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties, as well as Alabama’s Jackson, DeKalb and Cherokee counties, also were listed in the category, which is the lowest of five levels of severity.
Pam Knox, Georgia’s assistant state climatologist, said the classification is “no cause for alarm” yet but an indication that the area needs some rain.
“Over the course of the summer, we’ve seen dry conditions edging into Georgia from the east and the west,” she said.
David Hotz, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., said the area has missed out on tropical rains that have helped out the past two summers.
“So far, the tropical tracks have not been across the Southeast,” he said.
Though not classified as dry, Chattanooga is about 91/2 inches below its average rainfall totals to date.
Farmers are noticing the dry spell even in areas not officially listed in the report.
“We’re hoping for rain,” said Walker County Extension Agent Norman Edwards. “In the last couple weeks, it’s been getting pretty dry.”
Knox didn’t offer any good news in terms of a long-term prognosis. She said the strong La Niña effect currently influencing the region’s weather usually means a dry, warm winter in North Georgia and the surrounding region.
“That’s not great going into the growing season,” she said.
Though October is typically the driest month for Georgia, Knox said, the remnants of a hurricane could be just what the region needs.
“One tropical storm in the right place could make a huge difference,” she said.
The best chance for rain will be remnants of Hurricane Hermine drifting over from Texas, which is offering a 50 percent chance of rain today.
Andy began working at the Times Free Press in July 2008 as a general assignment reporter before focusing on Northwest Georgia and Georgia politics in May of 2009. Before coming to the Times Free Press, Andy worked for the Anniston Star, the Rome News Tribune and the Campus Carrier at Berry College, where he graduated with a communications degree in 2006. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tennessee ...
Or login with:
New Account