Recent rainfall has significantly improved drought conditions across Georgia, according to new federal data.
The latest numbers show rainfall across the state over the past month has been between 100% and 250% above normal.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Lusk said the additional rainfall has made a noticeable difference.
“We’ve seen areas that have actually been completely removed from the drought, especially just south of the Atlanta metro and parts of central Georgia,” Lusk said.
Just three months ago, all of Georgia was experiencing drought conditions and record-breaking wildfires burned in south Georgia. Lusk said that number has now dropped to about 43.7% of the state.
“We’ve gone from having 100% of our area in drought as of a couple of weeks ago, we’re now down to about 43.7% in the state of Georgia as a whole,” Lusk said.
Lusk said consistent rainfall was needed to improve conditions.
“We needed this kind of consistent wet weather that we have been seeing, a lot of it has been inconvenient, but we’re out of the drought now,” he said.
Despite the improvement, officials say Georgia is not out of the woods yet. Federal data shows parts of the state still need up to seven inches of rain to completely eliminate drought conditions.
Lusk warned that conditions could worsen again as Georgia enters the hottest months of the year, and state officials say they are continuing to emphasize water conservation efforts.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.