ATLANTA — Atlanta needs some rain. Not just some sprinkles, but a good, soaking rain.
Over the last 10 days, we've received no measurable rainfall in the capital of the Peach State. And over the course of the entire month of May, we've picked up a lousy 0.54". That's about 1.5" below average for the month through the 18th.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor reflects this recent famine in rainfall. Seventy three percent of the state is now experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions. This means that we're not yet in a drought, but that if some good rain isn't received soon, we could be in one. During these conditions, topsoil moisture decreases and grass/plants that are not watered dry out. It also leads to a higher risk of fires. In southeast Georgia, the need for rain is more desperate with a quarter of the state in Moderate or severe drought conditions.
Although Mother Nature hit the breaks on rainfall this month, we had some better rain amounts earlier this year. In April, we had 4.37" of rain, more than a half an inch above average for the month. For the entire 2022 year, our rainfall total at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport stands at 19.65", which is just 0.04" of an inch below normal.
With the dog days of summer ahead of us and heat building, we need a good soaking rainfall. Luckily, model trends do show a much higher chance of showers and some storms for the second half of the weekend and into the start of next week.
Model comparison for the American vs. European models both show over an inch of rain for North Georgia over the next week. The European is much more generous in the moisture available, giving 3" to 5" across parts of the metro. The American model is much more conservative, but still gives a solid 1" to 2" over the next week.
The 11 Alive StormTrackers are tracking a cold front that will help enhance the coverage of showers and thunderstorms in this time frame.
MORE FROM THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS
DOWNLOAD THE 11ALIVE APP:
Set up weather notifications by clicking the Gear icon in the upper right corner of the app. Select Notification -> Notification Settings -> Severe Weather Alerts -> Toggle the Severe Weather Alerts button to the right to turn alerts on.
Send photos and videos through the app by selecting the Near Me feature on the bottom right task bar of the app and entering your information.
TEXT YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS TO US: 404-885-7600
JOIN THE 11ALIVE STORMTRACKERS FACEBOOK GROUP: Nearly 10,000 metro Atlanta and north Georgia weather enthusiasts share their weather photos every day. Click here to join the group!
