And all of Hall County and rest of the northeastern corner of the state are now included, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM).
The latest USDM report, released Thursday, shows the biggest concentration of drought conditions in the state lies above the so-called “gnat line” – defined as from Columbus-to-Macon-to-Augusta.
For Hall and a swath of counties running from the Toccoa area to LaGrange, conditions are described as “abnormally dry.” But for a string of counties from Rabun County through Dawson to Rome, conditions are considered “moderately” dry. The worst conditions in north Georgia are in seven counties in the far northwestern corner of the state where a “severe” drought exists.
Click here to view a map of the state which shows the extent of drought in each county
Georgia | U.S. Drought Monitor (unl.edu)
Meanwhile, the level of Lake Lanier continues to drop. As of Thursday morning, the Corps of Engineers reported the lake level at 1064.6, about a foot lower than a week ago and around seven feet below normal for this time of year.