| D0 | 2023-11-03 | fall | 0 | - Fire
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Outdoor burning not advised in Georgia | In early November, the Georgia Forestry Commission released a statement advising against any planned outdoor burning. The Peach State has had at least five large fires in recent weeks, the largest of which charred more than 700 acres in Walker County.
A fire burned on the shore of Lake Allatoona north of the dam on Nov. 15 and was contained by noon. The flames burned in leaf litter, causing heavy smoke in the woods near Cooper Branch.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.), Nov 15, 2023
Sectors: Fire Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 None |
| D0 | 2022-05-21 | spring | 0 | - Business & Industry
- Plants & Wildlife
| Extra watering, wise selection of plants to cope with hot, dry weather in Georgia | A plant nursery in Savannah has moved some plants out of direct sunlight and is watering plants twice daily to cope with the heat and drought.
Horticulturalists at the University of Georgia’s State Botanical Gardens in Athens focus on planting native plants that will tolerate heat and dry conditions better than nonnative ones.
Savannah Morning News (Ga.), May 21, 2022
Sectors: Business & Industry Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D2 |
| D0 | 2019-11-08 | fall | 0 | - Agriculture
- Water Supply & Quality
| Water levels low, ongoing agricultural issues in Georgia | Rain has relieved drought conditions in Georgia, but lingering problems remained. Water levels in streams and lakes were still low, including Lake Lanier, which was about 3 feet low. Farmers experienced agricultural difficulties during the growing season and had trouble getting peanuts out of the ground at harvest time.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.), Nov. 8, 2019
Sectors: Agriculture Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 |
| D0 | 2019-10-24 | fall | 0 | | Leaves duller in Central Georgia | Tree leaves in central Georgia were less vibrant than in other years, due to drought.
WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon (Ga.), Oct. 24, 2019
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 |
| D0 | 2019-09-20 | fall | 0 | | Stressed peanuts in Macon County, Georgia | Peanuts in Macon County were very stressed and wilted from lack of moisture. The dry weather meant the farmer had to irrigate twice as much as usual.
WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon (Ga.), Sept. 20, 2019
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2019-09-18 | fall | 0 | | Soybeans damaged, peanut being dug early in Georgia | Soybeans in Jackson County were beyond salvaging, even if rain fell. In Terrell County, peanut farmers were digging peanuts early while there was still enough soil moisture to harvest.
Valdosta Daily Times (Ga.), Sept. 18, 2019
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 None |
| D0 | 2019-07-01 | summer | 0 | | High fire activity in Georgia | The Georgia Forestry Commission stated the firefighters had responded to about 41 percent more fires over the past three months as drought intensifies in the state. The Georgia Forestry Commission Chief of Protection recommended that the public should postpone open burning if conditions were unfavorable.
Valdosta Daily Times (Ga.), Sept. 28, 2019
Wildfire activity in Georgia since July 1 was up 25 percent in the number of fires and about 22 percent in acreage, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission. For September alone, the number of fires was 52 percent higher even before recent wildfires were included in the tally.
WMAZ-TV CBS 13 Macon (Ga.), Sept. 23, 2019
Sectors: Fire
USDM Levels: D0 D1 None |
| D0 | 2019-05-20 | spring | 0 | - Fire
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Campfires banned in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia | Campfires and grilling were banned in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Georgia, due to abnormal dryness in the region.
Georgia Public Broadcasting (Atlanta, Ga.), May 20, 2019
Sectors: Fire Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 |
| D0 | 2017-04-25 | spring | 0 | - Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| Water conservation requested in Auburn, Georgia | The Auburn Water Works board declared a Stage One Drought and asked its water customers to conserve water voluntarily. The area was 7 inches behind on rainfall. Lake Ogletree, Auburn’s primary water source, had also been lowered for the construction of a new spillway, so the community has less water stored in its reservoir than usual.
WLTZ-TV News 38 (Columbus, Ga.), April 25, 2017
Sectors: Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2017-04-17 | spring | 0 | - Plants & Wildlife
- Society & Public Health
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| More alligators sightings in southwestern Georgia | Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources has warned that the warm, dry weather has alligators on the move seeking water sources in the southwestern part of the state. Drivers are cautioned to be on the lookout for the creatures at night when they are harder to see. An estimated 250,000 alligators live in Georgia.
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), April 17, 2017
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife Society & Public Health Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 D1 |
| D0 | 2017-04-13 | spring | 0 | - Fire
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Fire restrictions in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Georgia | Officials at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge banned charcoal grills and campfires because a large fire has been burning in the swamp for several days as the area endured drought.
WABE 90.1 FM (Atlanta, Ga.), April 13, 2017
Sectors: Fire Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 |
| D0 | 2017-02-09 | winter | 0 | | Beetle outbreak among Georgia's trees | Aerial surveys by the Georgia Forestry Commission showed active infestations of Ips engraver beetles in timber stands, primarily in north and central Georgia. Drought gave the insects an advantage because trees were stressed by the lack of moisture.
Georgia Forestry Commission, Feb. 9, 2017
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 None |
| D0 | 2016-11-17 | fall | 0 | - Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| Level I, II Drought Response in Georgia | Winter rains led the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to ease drought-related water limits and restrictions in 86 counties. Twelve counties, including those in the Atlanta area, still remained in Level 2 drought response.
CBS 46 Atlanta (Ga.), March 3, 2017
Gov. Nathan Deal declared 52 counties in northern Georgia to be in Level II Drought Response and, along with the Environmental Protection Division, saw 58 counties in the southern part of the state to be in Level I Drought Response.
"During this prolonged period of severe drought in Georgia, we are bolstering the state’s drought response in more than 100 counties," said Gov. Deal. "I would like to remind Georgians that there are specific guidelines and prohibitions to follow during a Level I and Level II Drought Response."
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), Nov. 17, 2016
Sectors: Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 None |
| D0 | 2016-11-02 | fall | 0 | | Drought-stressed pines in southwestern Georgia under attack from ips engraver beetles | Ips engraver beetles were drawn to drought-stricken pine trees in southwestern Georgia, said Georgia Forestry Commission Rangers, who were monitoring pine trees in the southwestern part of the state daily. The beetles attack and kill drought-stressed and weakened pine trees.
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), Nov. 2, 2016
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 |
| D0 | 2016-10-29 | fall | 0 | | Winter wheat planting delayed in Georgia | Drought delayed the planting of winter wheat in Georgia, where the topsoil moisture conditions were 73 percent below normal, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. A farmer in Lee County said that winter wheat planting was not possible without moisture, but also felt the time pressure to get the wheat in the ground. A decent job of harrowing was not possible either, due to the hard, dry ground.
Albany Herald (Ga.), Oct. 29, 2016
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 None |
| D0 | 2016-10-01 | fall | 0 | | Georgia wildfires contained | All wildfires in North Georgia were complete contained, said the U.S. Forest Service. Since Oct. 1, wildfires burned roughly 42,000 acres in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Drought persisted, and forests remained dry.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.), Dec. 13, 2016
Sectors: Fire
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 |
| D0 | 2016-09-21 | fall | 0 | | Harsh weather cut into cotton profits in southern Georgia | Hot, dry weather in southern Georgia was hard on the cotton crop, and the arrival of Hurricane Hermine brought wind and rain that tangled the plants, which will make harvest more challenging and take longer. While the harsh weather will not mean a huge dollar loss for farmers, it will take away a bit of the profit.
WFXL-TV (Albany, Ga.), Sept 21, 2016
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 D1 None |
| D0 | 2016-09-06 | fall | 0 | | Some ground in southern Georgia, too hard, dry to dig peanuts | Peanuts in southern Georgia benefited from Hurricane Hermine’s rain and desperately needed the moisture, but some areas of southern Georgia still need more rain to be able to dig the peanuts from the hard, dry ground.
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), Sept. 6, 2016
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 D1 None |
| D0 | 2016-07-26 | summer | 0 | - Agriculture
- Plants & Wildlife
| Unirrigated peanuts, hay impacted by drought in Georgia | Unirrigated peanuts in Georgia were not able to fully develop and grow. Hay was not growing, leading farmers to feed their livestock. In the northwestern part of the state, the corn was mostly burned up.
WABE 90.1 FM (Atlanta, Ga.), July 26, 2016
Sectors: Agriculture Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 |
| D0 | 2016-06-02 | summer | 0 | - Fire
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Caution urged with fire in northern Georgia | Residents in northern Georgia were urged by the Georgia Forestry Commission to use extreme caution with outdoor fires due to the dry weather and elevated fire risk.
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tenn.), June 2, 2016
Sectors: Fire Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 None |
| D0 | 2015-05-19 | spring | 0 | | Dry weather halting peanut planting in southern Georgia | Dry weather halted most peanut planting in southern Georgia, except for fields with irrigation capability. The peanuts cannot germinate and sprout in the parched soil. Prior to the dry spell, an unusually wet spring delayed planting. Fifty percent of the peanut crop was in the ground, but it is preferable to have the entire crop planted by mid-May.
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), May 19, 2015
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 None |
| D0 | 2014-08-26 | summer | 0 | | Southern Georgia peanuts hurt by heat, lack of rain | Heat and dry weather have hurt Georgia’s peanut crop, said the executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission. He noted that this year’s loss will force farmers to work harder in future years to compensate for the income lost this year.
WALB-TV NBC 10 Albany (Ga.), Aug. 26, 2014
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 None |
| D0 | 2012-06-26 | summer | 0 | - Business & Industry
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Small businesses in Georgia were eligible for low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration | Small businesses in Georgia were eligible for low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration for financial loss due to drought since June 26, 2012. The counties include Banks, Barrow, Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin and White. The declaration makes small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and nurseries eligible for loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Farmers and ranchers should not apply. Applications must be received by April 22, 2013.
Sectors: Business & Industry Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 |
| D0 | 2012-03-29 | spring | 0 | - Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| Dry conditions led to reduced releases from Lake Lanier in northern Georgia | The Army Corps of Engineers intends to reduce water releases from Lake Lanier, Atlanta’s water supply, by 100 cubic feet per second due to concern over the dry weather. FOX 5 Atlanta (Ga.), March 29, 2012
Sectors: Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 D1 |
| D0 | 2011-04-07 | spring | 0 | | Downed trees in Atlanta area damaged by drought years ago | Many trees fell during recent storms in the Atlanta area. The spokeswoman for Georgia Power noted that the storms and the health of the trees were both to blame for the downed trees since years of drought had weakened the trees’ root systems. An arborist concurred that drought was to blame for the tree damage. Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.), April 7, 2011.
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 D1 |
| D0 | 2010-07-10 | summer | 0 | | About 259,000 acres burned in Georgia in past 10 months | There were 8,500 blazes in Georgia since July 2010 that scorched more than 93,000 acres or 145 square miles of state land. The Okefenokee Swamp fire has burned at least 166,000 acres of federal land since a lightning bolt started the conflagration in late April. Combining state and federal land damaged by wildfire, roughly 259,000 acres have burned in Georgia. Athens Banner-Herald (Ga.), June 13, 2011
Sectors: Fire
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2010-07-01 | summer | 0 | | Drought allowed wildfires to rekindle in Georgia | There have been 8,500 blazes in Georgia that have scorched more than 93,000 acres or 145 square miles of state land since July 2010 as drought made it easier for dry vegetation and trees to burn. The Okefenokee Swamp fire has burned at least 166,000 acres of federal land since a lightning bolt started the conflagration in late April. When state and federal acres are combined, around 259,000 acres have burned in Georgia. More than $20 million in timber was consumed. The Macon Telegraph (Ga.), June 13, 2011
Sectors: Fire
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2010-07-01 | summer | 0 | | Excessive wildfire activity in Georgia | The Georgia Forestry Commission counted 9,219 wildfires that charred at least 421,000 acres or 650 square miles. Dry conditions contributed to the high number of wildfires and acreage burned, which has already been nearly the worst year in the past ten years. Athens Banner-Herald (Ga.), July 3, 2011
Sectors: Fire
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2010-07-01 | summer | 0 | - Agriculture
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Disaster declaration for Georgia farmers | One hundred fifty-one counties in Georgia were declared to be natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to drought and high temperatures since July 1, 2010. The only counties not included in the declaration are Camden, Clayton, Glynn, Greene, Jasper, McIntosh, Morgan and Newton, but farmers in these counties are still eligible for aid because they are contiguous to the primary disaster areas. This declaration permits affected farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency. Loan applications must be received July 26, 2011. Rome News-Tribune, Nov. 29 and the USDA Farm Service Agency website.
Sectors: Agriculture Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2009-07-26 | summer | 0 | - Business & Industry
- Plants & Wildlife
| Owner of tree service in Rome says business benefitted from drought | The owner of a landscaping and tree service in Rome revealed that the drought brought him business because so many trees died and needed to be removed. He does mainly tree service work now, whereas in the past, a greater portion of his work involved landscaping.
Sectors: Business & Industry Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2009-07-26 | summer | 0 | - Business & Industry
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| Rome landscaper finds more work as water restrictions ease | A landscaper in Rome stated that he has 20 % to 30 % more work than last summer since water restrictions have eased.
Sectors: Business & Industry Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2009-07-15 | summer | 0 | | Many trees on University of Georgia campus lost to drought, snowstorm | Hundreds of trees on the University of Georgia campus have perished in recent years from drought and a bad snowstorm. The university has waited to replace the trees until the drought subsided.
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2009-05-24 | spring | 0 | | Fish in Lake Lanier benefitted from drought | Fish in Lake Lanier have benefitted from the drought, according to a fisheries biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Fish are fatter than usual and seem quite healthy.
Sectors: Plants & Wildlife
USDM Levels: D0 None |
| D0 | 2009-03-03 | spring | 0 | - Relief, Response & Restrictions
- Water Supply & Quality
| Eased water restrictions for northern Georgia | Water restrictions in 55 northern Georgia counties have been loosened slightly to allow drip irrigation and soaker hoses thrice weekly.
Sectors: Relief, Response & Restrictions Water Supply & Quality
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 None |
| D0 | 2008-12-26 | winter | 0 | - Agriculture
- Relief, Response & Restrictions
| Most Georgia counties declared to be disaster areas | One hundred forty-six of the 159 counties in Georgia were declared to be natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to drought and heat. The counties designated to be disaster areas include all counties except Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Bulloch, Camden, Coffee, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Terrell, Ware and Wayne, but all of the previously listed counties are eligible for aid because they border primary disaster areas, except for McIntosh County, which is not eligible to apply for any aid. This declaration permits affected farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
Sectors: Agriculture Relief, Response & Restrictions
USDM Levels: D0 D1 D2 D3 None |
| D0 | 2007-01-01 | winter | 0 | - Business & Industry
- Tourism & Recreation
| Concession income at Lake Lanier marinas down in the 2007 and 2008 fiscal years | Area marinas reported that concession income was off by over $400,000 in the fiscal years of 2007 and 2008, according to research done by the 1071 Coalition.
Sectors: Business & Industry Tourism & Recreation
USDM Levels: D0 |
| D0 | 2005-11-27 | fall | 0 | | Agriculture impact from Media submitted on 11/28/2005 | After favorable growing conditions in summer 2005, Georgia pecan crops were damaged by drought that began in September and continued into November. Without rain, the kernels cannot develop fully. USDA originally estimated the state's production at 110 million pounds in June, but in October, they revised the estimate to about 90 million pounds.
Impact Source: Media
More Information: http://www.messenger-inquirer.com/features/agriculture/9180976.htm
Sectors: Agriculture
USDM Levels: D0 |