Floyd County finished 2008 with a 7.82-inch rainfall deficit. While that’s not good news, a wet December helped the region make up some lost ground as much of the Southeast continues to struggle with drought conditions.
December saw 7.59 inches of rain fall on Rome, bringing the annual total to 47.02. The average annual rainfall is 54.84 inches, according to the National Weather Service, which collects its rainfall numbers from Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Armuchee.
The rest of the winter remains up in the air, according to the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Whether the rest of the winter is a wet or dry winter will depend on the number of low-pressure systems that develop in the northern Gulf of Mexico and move across the state, according to the CAES.
The past 15 winters have been drier than the long-term average, the CAES reported.
Winter rains are needed to replenish soil moisture, lakes and wells in time for heavy summer usage, the CAES reported.
Area lake levels are well below full pool.
Weiss Lake in Alabama is 6 feet below full, and numbers are even worse in Georgia.
Lake Lanier, which furnishes drinking water for much of Atlanta was 18 feet below full Wednesday.
Lake Allatoona, which feeds the Etowah River, was 15 feet below full Wednesday. Nearby Carters Lake was only about 2 feet below full.
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