Drought — Sumter, Georgia

2019-10-08 to 2019-10-22 · Sumter, Georgia

Wider weather episode

The majority of the state observed a peak in drought conditions in the month of October, with a welcomed wet weather pattern in the latter half of the month contributing to improvement.

The month of October came on the heels of a record-setting September, with warm daytime high temperatures and widening short-term rainfall deficits resulting in expanding flash drought conditions. D3 Extreme Drought conditions developed over portions of the state the first week of October, with the maximum percentage of area in D3 Extreme Drought shown in the October 15th U.S. Drought Monitor.

A shift in the weather pattern mid-month brought much needed rainfall to the state, a large majority of which resulted from Post-Tropical Storm Nestor's track through the area. More seasonal temperatures combined with the active weather pattern led to improvement in drought conditions. The month of October ended with most locations seeing above-normal rainfall.

Rainfall for the month of October ranged from 3 to 10 inches, with pockets of up to 15 inches. These amounts were 90 to 400 percent of normal, with isolated areas of up to 600 percent of normal.

The drought persisted into November, with continuing improvements.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 862900. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.