Drought in Georgia, October 31, 2023

Name: Drought in Georgia, October 31, 2023
Start: 2023-10-31T00:00
End: 2023-10-31T23:59
Location: Georgia

October 31, 2023 · NWS FFC · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FFC wrote it up.

The combination of warm late-summer temperatures, lack of tropical season precipitation, and persistent dry conditions produced short-term drought conditions over north Georgia. The widening short-term rainfall deficits resulted in expanding flash drought conditions over the far northern Georgia counties through October, with the Drought Monitor's D2 Severe Drought conditions first introduced over northwest Georgia on October 10, and D3 Extreme Drought just two weeks later. By the end of October, D2 Severe Drought conditions had expanded to 11.4% Georgia, and D3 Extreme Drought over 4.6%.

In total, October yielded 0.10 to 5 inches of rain of rain over the state. Over north Georgia, north of a line from Franklin to Atlanta, to Washington, rainfall amounts were 0.10 to 1.5 inches, or 5 to 50 percent of normal. South of this line, rainfall amounts were generally 2 to 5 inches, or 75 to 200 percent of normal. The highest amounts were concentrated along a line from Talbotton, to Milledgeville to Warrenton. The lowest rainfall amounts were observed over Dade and northern Walker counties.

In the November 2 Drought Information Statement issued by the NWS Atlanta office, 30-day rainfall totals were included for some of the driest climate record locations: Rome (RMG) reported 0.50 inches (14% of normal), Atlanta (ATL) reported 1.77 inches (52 percent of normal), Gainesville (GVL) reported 1.47 inches (40 percent of normal), Athens (AHN) reported 1.23 inches (38 percent of normal), and Peachtree-DeKalb (PDK) reported 1.12 inches (34 percent of normal).

By the end of the month, soil moisture was below normal and the National Drought Mitigation Center's Condition Monitoring Observer Reports from farmers reported delayed harvesting or planting of seasonal crops and/or heavy degree of loss with crop yield. There were multiple reports of dry water sources and concern for water availability moving into November. Farmers reported supplemental feeding was required for cattle and livestock. The NWS Atlanta office also received an increased number of requests for weather information for wildfires.

The drought persisted and expanded through November over north Georgia.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Atlanta, GA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 30, 6:41 PM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 30, 6:41 PM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 30, 10:07 AM EST, 13 hours 53 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
1107 AM EDT Mon Oct 30 2023

GAZ001>009-011>016-019>025-027-030>039-041>062-066>076-078>086-
089>098-102>113-311515-
Baldwin-Banks-Barrow-Bartow-Bibb-Bleckley-Butts-Carroll-Catoosa-
Chattahoochee-Chattooga-Cherokee-Clarke-Clayton-Cobb-Coweta-
Crawford-Crisp-Dade-Dawson-DeKalb-Dodge-Dooly-Douglas-Emanuel-
Fannin-Fayette-Floyd-Forsyth-Gilmer-Glascock-Gordon-Greene-
Gwinnett-Hall-Hancock-Haralson-Harris-Heard-Henry-Houston-Jackson-
Jasper-Jefferson-Johnson-Jones-Lamar-Laurens-Lumpkin-Macon-
Madison-Marion-Meriwether-Monroe-Montgomery-Morgan-Murray-
Muscogee-Newton-North Fulton-Oconee-Oglethorpe-Paulding-Peach-
Pickens-Pike-Polk-Pulaski-Putnam-Rockdale-Schley-South Fulton-
Spalding-Stewart-Sumter-Talbot-Taliaferro-Taylor-Telfair-Toombs-
Towns-Treutlen-Troup-Twiggs-Union-Upson-Walker-Walton-Warren-
Washington-Webster-Wheeler-White-Whitfield-Wilcox-Wilkes-
Wilkinson-
1107 AM EDT Mon Oct 30 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of North and Central Georgia.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight...

The probability for hazardous weather is low.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday...

A Freeze Watch is in effect for most of north Georgia for Tuesday
night into Wednesday morning as the first widespread freezing
temperatures of the season are expected. Freezing temperatures
are then anticipated for all of northern and central Georgia Wednesday
night, with near freezing temperatures likely again Thursday night.

Critical fire weather conditions are likely Wednesday and Thursday
afternoons.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed through tonight.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Union

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Union forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.834, -83.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Towns

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Towns forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.917, -83.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lumpkin

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Lumpkin forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.572, -84.003 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, White

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: White forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.646, -83.747 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jackson

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.134, -83.566 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Madison

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.128, -83.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Clarke

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Clarke forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 33.951, -83.367 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Oglethorpe

When: October 31, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Oglethorpe forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 33.881, -83.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Georgia in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Georgia, October 2023

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1144245, 1144246, 1144247, 1144248, 1144249, 1144250, 1144251, 1144252.