Rainfall was well below normal for most months, averaged over the drought period, April 1998 to Sept 2002, low rainfall during the fall and winter months has a particularly serious impact on recharge. Winter months are the usual time for replenishing groundwater and reservoirs. Plant uptake and evaporation exceeds rainfall during the rest of the year.

This drought, which mereorologists link to La Nina phenomena, began in Spring of 1998 following an abnormally wet winter. The wet winter enabled this drought to start from a point of well recharged reservoirs, ponds and ground water aquifers. As the drought progressed through 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, each year brought water supplies further out of balance with water needs. Tropical storms brought relief in September for 3 of these 5 drought years.

Source: NOAA National Climate Data Center for Georgia cities in and immediately surrounding the Middle Ocmulgee. Map. The summaries were created from daily weather records.

Last Updated on 8/04/2008 by Annie Horak, Shane Conger and Jim Hook