Feb. 4: UGA Not Just Talking
About Weather. With the winter’s icy surge in late January,
the rest of us know now
that accurate weather information isn’t just for farmers.
Feb. 22: Blame Long Drought
on La Niña. While you can’t blame La Niña for the weather on
any given day, it is
responsible for the general pattern that began in Georgia in May
1998.
May 16: No End Seen as
Drought Worsens in Georgia. There is no sign of relief as
summer nears. With very
little rain and temperatures in the 80s and 90s, soils statewide
are drying fast.
June 6: Drought Information
at Fingertips On-line. As towns and counties impose
water-use
restrictions, the need
for information has never been more dire, or easier to get.
June 28: Drought Damaging
Rural Counties’ Economies. “I’ve never seen the subsoil
moisture as low as it is
now,” says Glyndon Register in his powder-dry cotton field
near Lakeland, Ga.
Aug. 1: Drought Hits Georgia
Farmers’ Wallets Hard. The drought will cost Georgia farmers
an estimated $689 million
on their summer crops. Extra irrigation will add another $50
million.
Aug. 8: Drought Not All Bad:
Wheat Crop Sets Records. The drought that destroyed Roger
Godwin’s Grady County corn
crop helped him produce the record wheat yield he’d dreamed for
years.
Sept. 21: Timely Rains Help
Georgia Pecan Orchards. Pecan growers gave a sigh of relief
as timely September rains
fell on state orchards during a critical growing stage.
Oct. 30: Georgia’s Climate
Returning to More Extreme. State climatologist David
Stooksbury says the long drought
is part of a historically more normal climate pattern.
