The hot, dry weather over the last week means the first signs of drought have arrived in North Georgia.
The May 30, 2019 U.S. Drought Monitor map for Georgia showed 92.57-percent of the state impacted by some level of drought. The bulk of the state is considered abnormally dry (D0), including Hall and surrounding counties.
While abnormally dry conditions indicate dryness that has not yet developed into drought, forecasters do not anticipate significant rainfall in the coming weeks, which translates to worsening conditions.
Just over 30-percent of the state is labeled at a moderate drought level (D1). Most of the D1 area is in coastal and south Georgia, according to this week's map.
The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture reports indicated that 77-percent of the topsoil moisture in Georgia was short or very short (dry or very dry), up from 41-percent last week. Reports from Coffee County in South Georgia included hay reserves disappearing, soils drying and heat stress to crops; planting stopped on non-irrigated acres and irrigation was turned on for irrigated acres.
The only portions of Georgia not part of the D0-D1 designation are the mountain counties in northwest and northeast Georgia.
