Most of north and central Georgia is under moderate to severe drought, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report dated March 17 and released Thursday by the National Weather Service Atlanta.
What’s Happening: The National Weather Service says varying degrees of drought cover the majority of north and central Georgia. Extreme drought, rated D3 on the monitor’s five-level scale, exists in the northeast, west-central, and southeast parts of the state.
What’s Important: Current data shows 80.63% of Georgia is in drought rated D2, or severe, or worse. One year ago, none of the state was in D2 or higher conditions.
By the Numbers: The Drought Monitor measures drought as a share of a given area:
- D2 (Severe Drought) or worse: 80.63% of Georgia
- D3 (Extreme Drought) or worse: 38.05% of Georgia
- D4 (Exceptional Drought): 2.02% of Georgia
- 100% of Georgia falls somewhere in the D0 through D4 range
What We Know: At the start of the current water year on September 30, 2025, only 11.27% of Georgia was in D2 or higher drought. One year ago, more than 41% of the state had no drought conditions at all.
The Path Forward: The National Weather Service says drought conditions are likely to expand in the coming weeks, citing a dry forecast through the rest of March.
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