The other day, Smilin’ Mark McKay was flying in the Triple Team Traffic SkyCopter and he snapped this photo of Lake Lanier:
I noticed that the shoreline around the tree top islands was looking rather brown, indicating the dropping water levels.
This prompted a great question from Doug “Bear” Hazard on Twitter:
Which is a GREAT question! Let’s dive into the data.
Summer Rainfall in Atlanta
Meteorological Summer is defined as June 1 through August 31. These dates are used to make it easier to compare and contrast one season versus another.
In a nutshell, the average June 1 through August 31 “Summer” rainfall in Atlanta is 13.59 inches.
For “Summer 2023″, the June 1 through August 31 rainfall in Atlanta added up to 11.35 inches.
So Atlanta’s Summer 2023 rainfall is running 2.24″ below average, but when I look at the Top Driest Summers, this year comes in at #53.
Compared to the previous five years, 2023 is the second driest, following 2019 when only 10.41 inches of rain fell.
Last year’s Summer Rainfall totaled to 16.26 inches.
And in Summer 2021 -- when it felt like it rained nearly every day -- Atlanta received 19.30 inches of rain. That’s nearly six inches above average!
Autumn Rainfall in Atlanta
Meteorological Fall is defined as September 1 through November 30.
On average, Fall is the driest season in Metro Atlanta -- but Fall 2023 is really dry.
The first two months of the season are in the books, and only 3.07 inches of rainfall has fallen since Labor Day weekend.
Only 1.29 inches of rain fell at the official reporting station near the Atlanta Airport in September 2023. I make this distinction, because on September 14, as much as four inches of rain fell in the Vine City/western Downtown Atlanta area, however only 0.09 inches of rain was recorded at the official reporting center at the Airport.
It only rained eight days in September, and that dry trend continued in October. As of this writing, the last time it rained in Metro Atlanta was October 20 -- nearly three weeks ago!
Impacts Due to the Lack of Rain
Due to the prolonged dry conditions, Northwest Georgia is now experiencing an Extreme Drought. Metro Atlanta is experiencing Moderate Drought conditions as well.
[ [MORE: Drought conditions spread into North Georgia, Metro Atlanta] ]
Lake levels across the state are dropping about five to 10 feet below Summer Level.
Notably, Lake Lanier levels are approximately 1063 feet as of Tuesday morning, and Lake Allatoona is registering 831 feet.
Burn bans are not in effect, however remain cautious with any bonfires or camp fires this season. Rainfall is in the forecast this weekend, but it will be a drop in a very dry bucket for North Georgia.
Agriculture concerns remain high, even though the growing and harvest seasons have tapered towards an end.
During a Severe to Extreme Drought, planting for future seasons is delayed due to hard, compact soil. Field conditions are dustier than usual, and tree mortality may begin. Additional information is available below.