Wilkes in 50-year drought, state climatologist says, despite recent rainstorms

Despite stormy weather that brought heavy rain and damaging winds to Wilkes County this week, the state climatologist says that the drought in Wilkes County has worsened to extreme drought, the kind of drought only seen once in 50 years.

Wind damaged the Tignall Road property of Sam and Dawn Moore and others Friday evening, uprooting trees and damaging outbuildings. Some areas of the county received more than 2 inches of rain, others not a drop.

But that was just a drop in a dry bucket, Wilkes Co. extension agent Rick Smith said. "We're a long way from a significantgroundwater recharge, enough rain to bring the water table back up."

The drought in Wilkes County has gone from the "severe" category, a once-in-20-year drought, to "extreme" - a drought seen only once in 50 years.

Wilkes County is not in as bad drought as many counties, however. David Emory Stooksbury, the state climatologist, said that most recent reports in late August, of Georgia's 159 counties, drought conditions were classified as "exceptional" in 70, "extreme" in 40, and "severe" in 15 counties. (Stooksbury's full report is on page 16 of this issue.)

Drought conditions are expected to be exceptional about once in 100 years. The classificationsare based on many indicators, including rainfall, soil moisture, stream flows, groundwater levels and reservoir levels.

The conditions in Wilkes County have changed dramatically from June to August, as it has throughout the state. In late June, no counties were in exceptional drought, but conditions were extreme in 104 and severe in 38.

But by early August, drought conditions were exceptional in 37 counties, extreme in 55, severe in 16, moderate in 21 and mild in 10, with eight abnormally dry.

Rick Smith says that even if normal rain resumed now, it would take a year to recover from the present 50-year drought. "That little bit of rain was nice, but it hasn't changed how we're dealing with this drought."

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