On average, October is Atlanta’s driest month all year -- and it certainly was very dry this October!
Rainfall this month added up to 1.78 inches over the course of 8 days, which means we experienced dry weather for 3 out of 4 weeks this month.
In fact, the majority of the rain fell during the October 11-14 time frame! The other day featuring heavier rain occurred on October 20. Since then, the Metro Atlanta area is undergoing a 2 week-long dry spell.
How does this fair with previous Octobers?
As dry as it has been this month, it is only the 56th driest October on record for Metro Atlanta. Last year was a touch drier, with 1.71 inches of rain.
Just seven years ago, during the “Exceptional Drought” of 2016 that gripped the Southeast, the Metro Atlanta area only received 0.16 inches of rain through the entire month of October.
However, the driest October on record for Atlanta took place in 1963, when only a trace of rainfall was recorded through the entire month!
Back to 2023 -- Has drought developed again in Georgia?
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows “Abnormally Dry” conditions throughout Metro Atlanta, however “Extreme Drought” is spreading into the northwest corner of Georgia. “Moderate to Severe Drought” conditions spread through the rest of north Georgia, including the northwestern corner of Metro Atlanta.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the impacts associated with “Moderate to Severe Drought” conditions include the following:
Updated U.S. Drought Monitor information will be available after 8:30am Thursday morning.