Georgia Severe Weather Saturday, January 21, 2012

A recap of severe weather on Saturday, January 21, 2012 in Georgia

We experienced everything you would expect from a spring time severe weather outbreak, of course we are barely midway through the winter season.

The storm system that moved through the area brought with it Tornadoes, Strong winds, Hail, Frequent Lightning, and Flooding to may areas of the state. Hail was reported the size of Golf balls in many areas including the local area. Here at the homestead I received and reported pea to dime size hail and winds estimated at 40 MPH. I picked up about 0.75 inches of rain in under 30 minutes, with a storm total of 1.47 inches. There was also wind damage in the local area with reports of trees being down. Across the north, central and southern areas of the state, many radar indicated tornadoes were warned, including here in Harris county where I reside. At this time none of these radar indicated tornadoes have been confirmed, although I expect at least 2 possibly to be, One in the Coweta County area and another South of Perry Georgia.

Here's a map showing Tornado Warnings [RED], Severe Thunderstorm Warnings [YELLOW] and Flash Flood Warnings [Green] in Georgia beginning on Saturday January 21 2012 at 12:00 AM EST and ending Sunday morning January 22 at 12:00 AM EST.

Purple with white dots [HAIL REPORT]
Orange with Green [Thunderstorm Wind Damage]
Green with Wavy lines [Flash Flood]
Orange with word 'WIND' [Non Thunderstorm Wind Damage]
Red with White Cloud [ Funnel Cloud Reported]

I'll post an update as information becomes available.

Lightning Video

Short video I took from my back porch the morning of January 11 2012 around 6 AM EST. The frontal passage that brought thunderstorms to the Cataula area was responsible for tornadoes in Texas on January 9 and North Carolina on January 12.

Rain, Lightning and Thunder - video length about 3 minutes

Georgia Drought Update / Outlook - December 4 2011

Not much change since my last update November 13 2011. While this is the case, drought conditions continue to lesson in Georgia. The biggest reason for this is the cooler weather and shorter days.

For the month of November at my location in Harris County Georgia, I ended with 3.32 inches of precipitation. Columbus Georgia to my south ended with 3.33 inches at the airport, the official reporting station for the area. The big winner in the local area was in the area of the WTVM channel 9 studio, finishing November with 4.06 inches.

Here's a look at drought conditions in Georgia as of November 29 2011, the latest available:

Here's the departure from normal precipitation year to date ending December 1 2011:

Here's a graph showing additional precipitation needed to bring conditions back to near normal. We still need anywhere from 6 to 12 inches in the local areas. In Columbus the official reporting station for the local area, it shows a deficit of -10.47 inches for the year so far.

Here's a graph showing estimated rainfall in the southeast for November 2011:

During winter months drought conditions are out of sight out of mind due to vegetation being dormant, and as mentioned earlier cooler weather and shorter days, relating to less evaporation of moisture. Over the next months drought conditions are expected to continue due to a dominate La Nina weather pattern. The outlook for the next 90 days form the Climate Prediction Center shows below average precipitation and above normal temperatures.

Potential Severe Weather Thanksgiving Week 2011

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to scare anyone, especially in light of the severe weather we had in the local area last week. I am only giving you a heads up as to what is expected to occur in areas west of us, and could possibly move into the local area. I am NOT a Professional Meteorologists

While the level of severe weather is yet to be determined for the local area, areas to our west may be in line for strong storms and possibly a few tornadoes.

Much like the weather pattern of last week where we saw tornadoes pass through the local area, the same setup is once again expected to occur.

At this time [10:17 PM 11/20/2011] I'm not looking for anything more than a few thunderstorms in the local area, as the frontal boundary and associated surface low should remain to our west. Another reason is due to the system moving through the local area during late evening and overnight hours Tuesday into Wednesday. This should allow it to weaken, However this could change as the timing of the system is still in question.

Here's the current graphic from the Storm Prediction Center for 7 AM EST Tuesday 11/22 through 7 AM EST Wednesday 11/23. Pay attention to the area outlined in Brown. The local area is included in this 5% area for potentially severe weather.

Why do I point out the above 5% potential ? Because on Wednesday November 16, the day the tornado passed through Harris County, the local area was also included in a 5% severe probability, seen below.

This is not saying we will see any severe weather this week, only that the potential is there at this time.


In the lead up to the severe weather and tornadoes of November 16, I gave you a heads up on November 15. Also in that post was mentioned, "THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF SHRA/TSRA COMES AROUND THANKSGIVING.". Well, after this system in mid week passes by, the next one will come in and move through the local area over the coming weekend bringing another shot of rain. It's to early to tell at this time if any severe weather will accompany it.

Pictures: Harris County Georgia Tornado on November 16 2011

A NWS survey team determined that an EF-2 tornado tracked across Harris County the afternoon of Wednesday, November 16, 2011. The peak wind speeds were estimated at 125 mph, mainly around the Hamilton, GA area. The tornado originated in Alabama, crossing the Georgia border near Lake Harding. The tornado then traveled 26 miles across Harris County, ending at the Harris/Talbot County line near the town of Shiloh. The average width was estimated at 1/2 mile.

Worrisome Observations: Harris County GA Tornado on November 16 2011

While reading this article Harris County High School teacher Austin Shepherd hailed as ‘hero’ for helping students to shelter as tornado sweeps through Hamilton, I see some troubling facts. From the article:

A tornado that swept through Hamilton, Ga., left teachers little time to react Wednesday. But when the power went out and the panels started peeling off the workshop at Harris County High School, Austin Shepherd sprang into action.

When the winds finally calmed, Harris County Schools Superintendent Craig G. Dowling credited faculty for helping students reach safe shelter in the school’s hallway, and he had particular praise for Shepherd, a teacher of 20 years who grabbed hold of a few students who appeared to be in harm’s way.

What I find troubling is the fact this teacher and students were not already in a safe place. The storm that caused this tornado was 'warned' at approximately 1:11 PM Nov 16th 2011. Also in the article is mention that the storm hit the school during the "fourth block shop class":

Shepherd, 51, had just taken roll in his fourth block shop class when students noticed a drastic change in the weather.

The winds shifted and the rain began blowing sideways.

“We didn’t really have a lot of warning,” Shepherd said.

What time that was, I have no idea. Do you know what time 'fourth block shop class' started ?

Also included with this article at the link above, is a video. In this video Dr. Craig G. Dowling, Superintendent Harris County Schools said this ..I quote;

"Well we were monitoring the weather all afternoon, and as soon as things here started to get really bad, I had one teacher just tell me they, worked with split second precision, and Instantly within just a few seconds students were in the hall and positioned for a tornado drill."

Again, I dont know what time this was, but from the interview I would say it was a little late in getting the students in a safe place. Once the "things here started to get really bad" the storm or tornado was there. The tornado warning was put out for Harris County at 1:11 PM Nov 16th 2011. The students and everyone should have already been in a safe place long before the weather got bad.

This storm / tornado began in the Auburn Opelika area, went across Lake Harding, and continued on through Hamilton. "The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Ga., said the storm first hit Auburn, Ala., shortly after 1 p.m. EST and struck Hamilton an hour later." [LINK - ledger-enquirer]

"Student Ivy Martin says just before 2:00, "The power went out and all of a sudden you heard the wind like a train literally coming down from the football field."
Principal Roger Couch praised the response of the students and faculty. "They responded quickly. The students got where they needed to be before, and I mean right before things started crashing."" [LINK - WRBL News 3

"The National Weather Service confirms that damages from Wednesdays storm surge was done by one tornado, a continuous path from Notalsulga, AL to Shiloh, GA. Initial estimates show the storm may have been more than 50 miles long. Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with 0 being the weakest and 5 being the strongest.
While Lee County experienced damage from an EF-0 to an EF-1 tornado the damage was more extensive in Harris County, GA. NWS says Harris County was hit by an EF-2 storm, since the tornado made its way across a river." [LINK - WTVM]

The warning was issued at 1:11 PM Nov 16th 2011. It appears the storm hit just before 2 PM. The Staff at Harris County High School had at least 40 minutes to put a plan into action and get the students in a safe place. It appears from what I can discern from above, that didn't happen. WHY ?

Here are some facts about this storm:

Time: 2011-11-16 18:35 UTC
Event: 2 TORNADO
Source: nws storm survey
Remark: a nws damage assessment team determined than an ef-2 tornado with maximum winds of 125 mph originated in alabama and moved into harris county. the tornado crossed the state line around 135 pm est over lake harding and tracked east northeast into northern parts of hamilton then lifted just east of the harris/talbot county line near the town of shiloh. the total path was 26 miles. two structures were destroyed while 30 structures were damaged...including the school complex.

-----------

000
NOUS42 KFFC 172020
PNSFFC

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
320 PM EST THU NOV 17 2011

...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...

...EF-2 TORNADO IN HARRIS COUNTY...

EVENT DATE: NOVEMBER 16 2011
ESTIMATED START TIME: 135 PM EST
EVENT TYPE: EF-2 TORNADO
ESTIMATED PEAK WINDS (MPH): 125
EVENT START LOCATION (IN GEORGIA): 32.6970N/-85.1173W
EVENT END LOCATION: 32.8232N/-84.6920W
DAMAGE PATH LENGTH (IN MILES): 26
DAMAGE WIDTH (IN MILES): 1/2 MILE
INJURIES: 2 MINOR INJURIES

A TORNADO ORIGINATING IN ALABAMA MOVED INTO WESTERN GEORGIA AND TRACKED ACROSS HARRIS COUNTY. THE TORNADO ENDED AT THE HARRIS/TALBOT COUNTY LINE NEAR THE TOWN OF SHILOH. TWO STRUCTURES WERE DESTROYED WHILE 30 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED...INCLUDING THE HARRIS COUNTY SCHOOL COMPLEX WHICH CONTAINS AN ELEMENTARY...MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL AS THE 911 CENTER AND AN ANIMAL SHELTER. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE ALSO SNAPPED OR UPROOTED.

$$



If anyone has any information to add, feel free in the comments section below.

Here are some of my tweets @CataulaGaWX during this situation:

Tornado Warning for Harris and Troup County in GA until 2:00pm EST. #gawx
1:11 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

Harris County GA take shelter NOW. #gawx
1:22 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

TORNADO WARNING for Harris CO and Troup CO GA #gawx
1:24 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

Harris Co, GA and the town of Hamilton GA are next in line for this supercell. Take cover NOW #gawx
1:26 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

Tornado Warned storms heading for Russell Co Al may continue into GA stay aware #gawx #alwx
1:33 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

TORNADO WARNING FOR...NORTHEASTERN HARRIS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA SOUTHEASTERN MERIWETHER COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA NORTHERN TALBOT COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA WESTERN UPSON COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA* UNTIL 230 PM EST
1:54 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck ·

wtvmweather Tornado Warning for Harris, Meriwether, Talbot, Upson [GA] till 2:30 PM EST
1:57 PM Nov 16th via HootSuite Retweeted by CataulaGaWX

Damage reports coming in from Harris County. 911 call center reports damage and Harris county high school reports minor damage. #gawx
2:16 PM Nov 16th via TweetDeck

wtvmweather NWS cancels Tornado Warning for Harris [GA].
2:17 PM Nov 16th via HootSuite Retweeted by CataulaGaWX

Picture of EF-2 Tornado Harris County Georgia on November 16, 2011

Tornado that passed through Harris county Georgia and hit Harris county High School, Harris County 911 call center, and other buildings/houses in the Hamilton Georgia area. - Photo via Nate Wade

Via the NWS Peachtree City, GA

A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF-2 tornado tracked across Harris County the afternoon of Wednesday, November 16, 2011. The peak wind speeds were estimated at 125 mph, mainly around the Hamilton, GA area. The tornado originated in Alabama, crossing the Georgia border near Lake Harding around 135 PM EST. The tornado then traveled 26 miles across Harris County, ending at the Harris/Talbot County line near the town of Shiloh. The average width was estimated at 1/2 mile. A total of 2 injuries were reported in Harris County due to the tornado.

Two structures were destroyed and 30 structures were damaged, including the Harris County School Complex which contains an elementary, middle and high school. Also damaged was the 911 center and an animal shelter in Hamilton, GA. Hundreds of trees were also snapped or uprooted.

Tornado that passed through the Auburn Alabama area and continued through Harris county Georgia. - Photo taken in Auburn By Stacey McCollough Elmer

RAW VIDEO: Harris Co. High School Damage - Hamilton Georgia - Possible Tornado

Video of storm damage on November 16 2011 in Harris County Georgia.
VIA myfoxatlanta.com

RAW VIDEO: Harris Co. High School Damage: MyFoxATLANTA.com

See related: Unconfirmed Tornado Harris County Georgia, Auburn Alabama - Videos - November 16 2011

Storm Causes Damage Across Harris County Georgia - Video

Storm Causes Damage Across Harris County Georgia on November 16 2011

Storm Causes Damage Across Harris County: MyFoxATLANTA.com

See related: Unconfirmed Tornado Harris County Georgia, Auburn Alabama - Videos - November 16 2011

Unconfirmed Tornado Harris County Georgia, Auburn Alabama - Videos - November 16 2011

At this time [ 9:50 PM 11/16/2011 ], it remains unknown if widespread damage caused by severe storms was caused by Tornadoes. Below are , videos, storm reports and storm tracks from todays severe weather outbreak. I will have more information to post tomorrow.

Via WRBL News 3


Video - Storm damage in Harris County Georgia




via WTVM


Video - Storm damage at Harris County High School




Map of warnings that were issued today across portions of the South as of 6:46 PM EST

Storm Reports

VIA National Weather Service Birmingham, AL
 

1200 PM     TSTM WND DMG     6 E NOTASULGA           32.57N 85.58W
11/16/2011                   LEE                AL   911 CALL CENTER

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. BUILDING BLOWN DOWN.

1207 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 E AUBURN              32.59N 85.46W
11/16/2011                   LEE                AL   BROADCAST MEDIA

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AT TERRACE ACRES
            APARTMENT COMPLEX.

1215 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 SSE OPELIKA           32.62N 85.36W
11/16/2011                   LEE                AL   EMERGENCY MNGR

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. MAJOR DAMAGE TO TRAILER PARK. TRAILERS
            AND VEHICLES TOTALLY DEMOLISHED.

1215 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S OPELIKA             32.62N 85.39W
11/16/2011                   LEE                AL   TRAINED SPOTTER

            POSSIBLE TORNADO. MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE TO HOMES, POWER POLES
            SNAPPED, POWER LINES DOWN.

VIA Storm Prediction Center

1836 3 WNW MOUNTAIN HILL HARRIS GA
HARRIS COUNTY 911 RELAYED REPORTS OF NUMEROUS DOWNED TREES IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY. (FFC)

1845 2 NNE MOUNTAIN HILL HARRIS GA
POSSIBLE TORNADO BENT HIGHWAY SIGNS 90 DEGREES AND CAUSED VERY STRONG WINDS. (FFC)

1854 HAMILTON HARRIS GA
AMATUER RADIO RELAYED A REPORT OF DAMAGE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND CARS IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. THIS DAMAGE IS POSSIBLY THE RESULT OF A TORNADO. (FFC)

See related post: Georgia / Alabama Severe Weather Possible Wednesday 11/16/2011

Georgia Drought Update October 16 2011 - Local Relief

With much of Georgia still experiencing 'Extreme Drought' conditions. Locally [ Harris County ] and southwest Georgia have found some relief, while north / northwest Georgia is once again included in this update.

As you can see in the graphic below, from September 27 on the left [ which was in my previous drought update ] to the current of October 11 2011 on the right, North & Northwest Georgia are once again becoming 'Abnormally dry'. Down to our southwest the drought has eased off a bit reflected by drought conditions now classified as 'Severe'.

Here in the local area, Harris County Georgia to be exact, we have also seen drought relief. Most of the county is now in a 'severe drought' as compared to two weeks ago 'extreme drought'. This was due to locally heavy rains on September 21 [ 2.28" ] & 22 [ 4.62" ] and another 0.51" on the 20^th, for a total of 7.41 inches in a three day period. My total for the month of September was a whopping 8.33 inches doubling almost tripling the normal rainfall amount for the area of 3.07 inches according to the National Weather Service. At the airport in Columbus which is the official rain gauge for the area, they recorded 3.56 inches for the month of September.

Over the rest of the southeast not much has changed during this time period.

Additional Precipitation Needed to Bring Palmer Drought Index to -0.5

Storm on October 13 2011 - Harris County Georgia

I was at the doctors office in Northern Harris county off of HWY 219 [River RD] near Lick Skillet RD. when the storm blew through about 1:35 pm. I called this storm in to the Harris Co. 911 call center.

My observations: I watched the sky darken from inside the doctors office. I knew something was coming. I stepped outside and saw this particular large cloud which was rotating in upper and lower levels. As it moved through I spotted a wall cloud. From my point of view, I couldn't see the defining area of the shelf cloud, or enough of it to verify what I was seeing, viewed in the images below. Moments later I heard the roar of the outflow winds coming from the storm which I have experienced a couple times before [Amazing Sound], which brought trees down at the homestead back in April of this year. I estimated the winds to be in excess of 50 mph. This caused the power to go out at the doctors office. I didn't notice any hail as it was raining so hard, and the wind was so strong I retreated back inside the doctors office. Which I might add is a double wide trailer, not the safest place but I had no alternative.

On my way back home I counted 5 trees down, 3 of which partially blocked 1 lane on these two lane roads I traveled. 1 across the power lines and numerous branches from large to small scattered about the roads. The route I took - River Road [ HWY 219 ] north [Tree across power lines], to Mountain Hill School Rd [Tree blocking lane in two areas], to Hwy 315 to the fork of 315 and Fortson RD [tree blocking one lane] and continuing on to West Bon Acre.
There were reports of downed tress and power lines in the Mulberry Grove area, across roads and on houses. I wasn't able to see the trees on houses or the downed power lines. Honestly I didn't look for them, I was trying to get home and see if there was any damage there and check on family members [especially MOM]. No damage at the homestead this time. I had just over a half inch of rain here at the homestead from this storm. 0.51 inches.

Click images to enlarge. Use your back button to return here.

Image credit: Andy Mason	Image credit: Angie Wright Russell
Image credit: bcorrell via WTVM	Image credit: Brandon Thomas
Image credit: Carla Horne Creamer	Image credit: Kevin Holden
Image credit: Matthew Cook	Image credit: Phil Scoggins via WRBL
Image credit: WTVM	Image credit: WTVM
Image credit: Kevin Roble WRBL	Map of roads I traveled

Storm Damage Reports from around the area.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
956 PM EDT THU OCT 13 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0146 PM     TSTM WND DMG     MULBERRY GROVE          32.66N 84.96W
10/13/2011                   HARRIS             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            HARRIS COUNTY 911 RELAYED REPORTS OF SEVERAL DOWNED TREES
            AND POWER LINES IN SOUTHERN HARRIS COUNTY. SEVERAL ROADS
            AND 2 HOMES HAD TREES DOWNED ONTO THEM.

******************

0154 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 SW FLAT ROCK          32.53N 84.88W
10/13/2011                   MUSCOGEE           GA   911 CALL CENTER

            MUSCOGEE COUNTY 911 RELAYED REPORT OF A DOWNED TREE IN
            THE GATEWAY ROAD AREA OF COLUMBUS.

******************

0201 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S HAMILTON            32.73N 84.88W
10/13/2011                   HARRIS             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            HARRIS COUNTY 911 RELAYED REPORTS OF 6-10 DOWNED TREES
            ALONG THE AREAS OF HWY 219 AND HWY 103.

******************

0207 PM     TSTM WND DMG     3 NE WAVERLY HALL       32.72N 84.71W
10/13/2011                   HARRIS             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            HARRIS COUNTY 911 RELAYED A REPORT OF A DOWNED TREE ON
            ALABAMA ROAD.

******************

0230 PM     HAIL             2 S TALBOTTON           32.65N 84.54W
10/13/2011  E0.50 INCH       TALBOT             GA   911 CALL CENTER

            TALBOT COUNTY 911 REPORTED SMALL HAIL...JUST SMALLER THAN
            A DIME...AT THE 911 CENTER SOUTH OF TALBOTTON.

Georgia Drought Update August 6 2011

The past couple of weeks have been dry in the area once again. The exception has been the northern and southern parts of the state. Central Georgia has seen a little activity in the form of pop-up scattered to isolated showers, offering little relief from drought conditions.

Although little rain has fallen in the local area and other areas throughout central Georgia, the drought monitor has removed our local area from 'Exceptional drought' and back in to 'Extreme drought'.

Here is the current graphic showing our current drought conditions.

Here is a graphic showing the change from July 26 on the left to August 2 on the right.

Here at the homestead I ended the month of July with 3.79 inches of rain, and so far in August have seen none. Here is a map showing the amount of rain the state has seen in the last 14 days. The local are which is within the RED circle has seen less as mentioned than north or south of our location. According to the map legend we have seen anywhere from to 2 inches in part of Muscogge county, and a half to inch and a half in Harris county. Sounds about right according to my records of daily rainfall amounts.

We are still way below normal and I expect these dry days will once again catch up with us in the coming weeks. According to this map, we still need anywhere from 9 to 12 inches in the local area.

On a side note - We are still waiting on a tropical system to bring us relief.

Georgia Drought Update July 7 2011 / Watching the Tropics

Little has changed from last week to this week. The exception being a couple counties in Southeast Georgia where they had decent amounts of rain. Those counties are now in Extreme Drought, where last week they were in Exceptional Drought. Without more rain in these areas, they will move back into exceptional drought.

Here in the local area drought conditions persist even with summer type scattered showers and storms. Here at the homestead over the past week I've had about 1½ inches of rain. At this time the illusion of green grass is misleading. Without continued rain the grass will once again dry out and turn brown. Soil moisture continues to be depleted.

Here are the current drought conditions in Georgia. Muscogee county is in Exceptional drought, while Harris county is in extreme drought. Localized drought conditions are teetering between these two extremes.

David Emory Stooksbury from the Georgia State Climatology Office had this to say about current drought conditions, and the outlook for summer 2011.

One of the best indicators of climate over a period of several weeks is persistence. Persistence means that the current climate pattern will continue for a period of time. Since Georgia has been warmer and drier than normal since March, the persistence outlook is for Georgia to remain warmer and drier than normal for the next several weeks.

An additional indicator is the current drought. Even with normal temperatures and rain during the summer, the soils across Georgia continue to dry, and stream flows drop. Even if Georgia receives normal rain this summer, the drought is expected to continue.

Drought and warmer-than-normal temperatures go together and typically reinforce each other. Dry soils mean that more energy from the sun heats the soil and the air above it. Warmer temperatures mean that the soils loose more water to evaporation and plant water use.

With drought conditions leading to higher temperatures, the current drought indicates an outlook of warmer-than-normal temperatures.

Complete article here: http://climate.engr.uga.edu/Summer_2011_Outlook.pdf

While there is no higher drought condition than 'exceptional drought', southwest Georgia and the Florida panhandle areas are worse than last week. To bring conditions back to normal, these areas now need 'over 15 inches' of rain, while last week they needed 12 to 15 inches. Our local area remains unchanged from last week still needing 9 to 12 inches of rain.

We are waiting on some type of tropical system to bring us much needed rain. At this time there is such a system to our south in Florida. This wave is expected to move North / Northwest possibly interacting with the Gulf of Mexico, pulling more tropical moisture into the southern states. Will any of this moisture make it here ? That's the million dollar question.

There is also another area of disturbed weather farther south which I'll be keeping an eye on for development.

Here is the current radar from Florida showing the rain associated with the first wave in the graphic above denoted by the number 1.

Georgia Drought Continues; Little Improvement

Many areas in Georgia and Alabama were lucky enough to see some rain the past couple of days. Many did not. The storm complex on June 28 should have, as many hinted including myself, moved through Georgia bringing much needed precipitation. Most of Alabama saw some rain in the form of showers and storms. The west side of Alabama saw more than the east side. Here in Georgia, the southern and east half of the state were the winners.
While the showers and storms fired up just north of my location where a decent amount of rain was reported, my exact location in Harris county saw only a few sprinkles while those south in Muscogee county saw more. Here is a map of the precipitation that fell across the area on June 28. The hand cursor in the expanded view points to my location.

Covering the southeast, little drought improvement can be seen from last week to this week. The areas that did see some drought relief, north Georgia and north Alabama.

In this map below we can see that the northeast corner of Georgia is now out of drought. The coverage of 'Abnormally Dry' conditions has shrank, down to 97.42 percent of the state from 100 percent a week ago. Areas experiencing 'Moderate Drought' has shrank as well, down to 85.51 percent of the state, from 87.48 percent last week. Areas of the state experiencing 'Severe, Extreme and Exceptional Drought' are unchanged from a week ago. Severe Drought still covers 74.91 percent of the state. Extreme drought covers 68.91 percent, while Exceptional drought covers 41.18 percent of the state of Georgia.

As mentioned, little has changed in drought conditions from last week to this week. We still need anywhere from 9 to 12 inches of rain to bring conditions back to normal or, no drought. The map below has not changed for our area during this past week.

What we need is a tropical system to move up from the Gulf of Mexico and sit over the southeast for a few days. This will not end drought conditions completely, but should reduce the coverage of extreme and exceptional conditions. While we did see Tropical Storm Arlene form in the gulf, she did not move north. Arlene is affecting areas well to our south in Mexico and the southern most point of Texas. Brownsville is getting some good and much needed rain.

All is not lost as Hurricane season has only just begun. While the temperature is on the rise and we may see another heatwave, some models are hinting at some relief in the form of rain in the first half of July. We'll see how that pans out as we get closer to the end of the first week of July.

Side note: With the Fourth of July coming be extra careful shooting off fireworks. It wont take much of a spark to start a fire with current conditions. Some have said they will opt for only shooting off high flying rockets, instead of the type of fireworks that stay on the ground. They say the reason is because the high flying type are out by the time the reach the ground. This is FALSE. I have personal experience of this. They DO NOT always go completely out before reaching the ground. While the type of fireworks that are ground huggers may cause a fire, it is usually within your general area and can be put out, while the fire caused by rockets are not.

Clouds & Storms on June 25 - Pictures

These clouds were north of my location in Cataula, GA. [Harris County]. They were producing lightning and rain, none of which made it to my location. Earlier around 5:15 PM EDT, a lone thundershower to my west moved south through Columbus. As it moved through Columbus, it turned in to a thunderstorm with strong winds causing some to lose power.

The lake in these pictures is now down about 2 feet, due to the drought.

Georgia Drought Update 6/23/2011

For the week ending June 21, Exceptional and Extreme drought has spread North and East encompassing more of the state. Areas in North Georgia have seen some relief from recent rains, which those of us in central and south Georgia area now experiencing. The affect of the rains this week will not be known until next week.

As you can see in this map below of Georgia, Columbus is fully engulfed in Exceptional Drought, which is the highest category of drought. I know for a fact areas across the Muscogee county line in Harris county are within this category of drought, however the map does not reflect this. Extreme drought persist just south of the county line northward in to Harris county.

In this next image you can see how far the different categories of drought have spread throughout the state of Georgia, form June 14 through June 21 2011. Hopefully next week we will see these areas move back south, but there is no guarantee.

In this image we see the extent of drought in the southeast. More of Alabama is now experiencing exceptional and extreme drought than at this time last week.

This image shows how much rain has 'not' fallen in the water year which begins in October of the year. In Muscogee and Harris counties we are falling short in rainfall anywhere from 8 to 12 inches. Again, the rain this week is not reflected here.

So how much rain do we currently need to bring conditions back to normal ? According to this map, anywhere from 9 to 12 inches.

As mentioned earlier, I know some areas are drier than shown here, while some are wetter. These maps are not that specific and generally are made from data gathered from National Weather Service reporting stations like the one at the Columbus Airport. That data is used for a wide area surrounding it. Case and point: While Columbus had 1.01 inches of rain yesterday, here at the house I had about 0.15 inches. A big difference from point to point which is about 12 miles the way the birds fly, at most.

Hopefully next week we can see some real relief from the drought. The Gulf of Mexico may become active in the next week or so. There were hints of this a week ago, but now more models are coming on board. Here's a graphic showing a 997 MB Low in the western Gulf on June 30. We shall see.