Drought in Georgia, May 1 to 31, 2000

The dry conditions, that had persisted for most of a 2 year period, continued through May over north and central Georgia. Rainfall amounts in central Georgia were only about 25 percent of normal, while 50 to 75 percent of normal amounts fell across the north. In Macon, the airport recorded only .30 inch of rain for the entire month, establishing this May as the driest May on record. The previous driest May was in 1936 when only .32 inch of rain fell. In Columbus, only .78 inch of rain was recorded for the month. Across north Georgia, rainfall amounts were around 2 inches, which was still between 2.5 and 3 inches below normal. Rainfall deficits for the year through May for most of north and central Georgia were between 7 and 10 inches. The Center for Climate Prediction and the U.S. Department of Agriculture classified most of central Georgia as being in an extreme drought for May. They classified most of the north as being in a severe drought, except for the northernmost counties which were placed in first stage drought conditions. In Georgia, corn and soybean crops were rated 43 percent poor to very poor, while cotton was rated at 37 percent poor to very poor. Dollar amounts were not available at this stage of the drought, but crops across the state would be in serious trouble without some relief from the dry conditions.