Georgia Ups Watering Restrictions as Drought Conditions Worsen
Yesterday, Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division tightened watering restrictions, moving from a level 1 restriction to a level 2 restriction. The bottom line is that instead of being allowed to water 3 days a week anytime, based on odd/even addresses, watering is only permitted between midnight and 10 AM three days a week.
The decision came following a number of fires in the Okefenokee Swamp in south Georgia this week that burned through thousands of acres. But, taking a look at the current drought conditions in Georgia shows a worsening in the past three weeks.
Compare the map above with one that was released on March 27th, and you can see things have worsened. Both the northwest and southeast corners of the state have entered a moderate or severe drought, while the middle, including metro Atlanta, remains abnormally dry.
However, the drought outlook for the next three months indicates improving conditions in the northwest part of the state, and some improvement in the south. The newly released one month and three month precipitation outlooks indicate equal chances of above or below precipitation for most of the country, including the southeast.
I wish I could offer hope for short term relief, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to be getting any substantial amount of rainfall, at least for the next week or so. There’s a small chance of rain next Tuesday and Thursday, and overall, it looks like dry conditions for the next two weeks.
So, get out and water early in the morning (which is better for your plants anyway), and let’s hope we get some rain soon.
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