Browse Drought Stories

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An arched iceberg located along the Antarctic Peninsula, taken June 17. Last month Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record low for June, at 4.68 million square miles — or about 471,000 square miles below average. (Photo by Dan Costa/National Science Foundation/Creative Commons) CAES News
Weather extremes
Halfway through 2022, Earth is on course for another top-10 finish in global temperature. After six months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the period from January through June 2022 was the planet’s sixth warmest on record, with observations that go back to 1880. Antarctica also saw its lowest June ice coverage on record.
Pam Knox visits a UGA weather station on the Durham Horticulture Farm in Watkinsville, Georgia. CAES News
Annual Weather Review
In 2021, Georgia experienced its coldest year since 2014, with an average temperature of 64.5 degrees Fahrenheit. But the temperature was still well above the long-term average of 63.4 F and ranked the 20th warmest year overall since statewide records began in 1895.
Calvin Perry, superintendent of Stripling Irrigation Research Park, examines an irrigation box in this 2014 photo. CAES News
Saving Water
For the past three decades, Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been battling over control of water resources in what has become known as the “tri-state water wars.” Judge Paul Kelly of New Mexico, a Supreme Court-appointed expert known as a “special master,” recently ruled in favor of Georgia in the ongoing Florida vs. Georgia court case.
Pecans lie on the ground beneath 20-year-old pecan trees that were uprooted when Hurricane Michael blew through Decatur County, Georgia. CAES News
Pecan Yields Down
A year after Hurricane Michael ravaged southwest Georgia, including the region’s pecan industry, farmers still are struggling as they harvest this year’s crop, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells.
Temperatures ranged from 3 to 7 degrees above normal across Georgia during October 2019. Despite the heat, above-average rainfall helped ease drought conditions across the state. CAES News
October Climate
October saw the easing of drought conditions across the state, but many producers reported that the months of dry conditions had already harmed their crops.
Irrigation is at work in a peach orchard in this 2016 photo on the UGA Griffin campus. CAES News
Peach Production
A drought that has spanned multiple months has University of Georgia peach specialist Dario Chavez concerned that peach trees in Georgia may suffer from lack of water.
Some parts of Georgia saw temperatures as high as 8 or 9 degrees above normal during September 2019. The heat and abnormally dry weather left much the state in some stage of drought. CAES News
Hot and Dry
While it seems Georgia is finally seeing a break from the summer heat, the long hot summer, including a record-setting September, has already caused problems for many Georgia farmers.
Insufficient production and storage of photosynthates during the fall transition into dormancy can translate to issues during spring green-up. Drought-stressed turfgrass in August 2016 (left) was able to recover prior to dormancy following appreciable rainfall in September (right). Much of Georgia's turfgrass is currently drought-stressed, and the transition to dormancy is quickly approaching. CAES News
Fall Lawns
Summer 2019 delivered hot, dry weather with sporadic rainfall. With fall approaching, now is the time to adjust your turfgrass management program to promote a smooth transition into dormancy and green-up next spring.
Blueberries growing on the Alapaha farm in Alapaha, Georgia in this file photo. CAES News
Blueberry Crop
Ideal weather conditions this season allowed blueberry farmers in southeast Georgia to produce their best crop since 2016, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agent Renee Allen.