Drought ridden farmers relieved at Georgia rain
“It always takes time for the drought to come in, and it always takes time for the drought to go out. Every week, even if we get some rain, there’s no guarantee we’re not going to go right back into a drought situation,” Knox said. “What we have received recently, though, has been great. It’s been exactly what we needed.”
Georgia producers were discouraged by the lack of rainfall for most of summer and nearly all of fall 2016. According to UGA’s Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network, only 1.61 inches of rainfall were recorded in Tifton, Georgia, during the three-month span from Sept. 3 through Dec. 3, 2016.
“Drought does typically tend to decrease over the winter for a couple of reasons. We do tend to get more rain, and temperatures are cold, so we don’t get a lot of evaporation. The plants also aren’t growing, so they aren’t using much moisture either. Whatever we do get is going back into the soil,” Knox said. “That’s just what we need.”
From Dec. 1, 2016, through Jan. 3, 2017, rainfall accumulation in Tifton measured 11.54 inches, almost twice as much as the 6.67 inches recorded from Dec. 1, 2015, through Jan. 3, 2016, in the same location.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the worst drought conditions are located in the northern part of the state, just above northwest Atlanta and just below southeast Atlanta. The state’s Atlantic coastline is clear of dry conditions, as is a small part of southwest Georgia.
source: fruitgrowersnews.com
