After heavy rains in October had improved conditions, drought has slowly crept its way back into much of Northeast Georgia in time for the Christmas holiday.
The latest data released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on Christmas Eve showed all of Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White counties being under “moderate drought” status, along with the northernmost portions of Hall, Banks and Dawson counties.
Most of Hall, Dawson and Forsyth counties, as well as southern Banks County and all of Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Madison and Oconee counties are under “abnormally dry” status. The northern and eastern parts of Gwinnett County are under “abnormally dry” status, while the southwestern part of Gwinnett is under “moderate drought” status.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City shows that there is a chance for some rainfall in the region late Friday into Saturday and Sunday.
Despite the worsening drought conditions, the water level of Lake Lanier has remained largely stable over the past month. While the current level of 1,064.41 feet as of Friday afternoon is five and a half feet below full winter pool for the lake, it is nearly unchanged from the final day of November.
Drought conditions are worse in South Georgia, where some counties have entered “extreme drought,” which is the drought monitor’s second-most-severe drought level.