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Jordan McLeod of the Southeast Regional Climate Center published this climate summary for April 2017: Temperatures were well above average across the Southeast region, with numerous record-breaking extremes observed during April. Mean temperature departures ranged from 5 to as much as 9 degrees F (2.8 to 5.0 degrees C) above average across much of the region…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
The fire that started in the Okefenokee Swamp on April 6 has been steadily moving through the area since then. According to the story, “So far, nearly all of the burning acreage has been confined to the Okefenokee refuge in southeast Georgia, as well as the neighboring Osceola National Forest and John M. Bethea State…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
Heavy rain in the northern part of our region continues to whittle away at drought and abnormally dry conditions, but drought is expanding in the southern half of the region. The area of severe drought in northeast Georgia continues to shrink, but a new area of severe drought has been added to Florida just north…
Posted in: Drought -
For the 15th month in a row, Georgia’s temperature was above normal, even though neutral conditions remain in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Rainfall was plentiful in north Georgia, leading to a reduction of extreme drought there, but was scarce in the south, which helped lead to the development of moderate drought there. The dry conditions…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
The latest monthly climate outlook from the Climate Prediction Center indicates that most of the Southeast has equal chances of near, above or below normal temperatures for the next 30 days. The next few days should show significant cooling as a strong cold front moves through the region on Thursday May 4, bringing significantly cooler…
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As we approach the annual running of the Kentucky Derby, you might be musing about horses in general and thoroughbreds in particular. While you might consider Kentucky to be the center of equine activity, this article from Growing Georgia indicates that the real center is actually a lot farther south. In Ocala, Florida, to be…
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Lee Shearer of the Athens Banner-Herald posted an interesting story today about land use changes across Georgia in the past few decades. Climatologists know that changes in land from bare group crops to forests can cause changes in the local climate because of how it changes the energy balance. Similarly, changing land from fields to…