Rain saves Atlanta from record drought by Tomasz Schafernaker
A fourth day of consecutive rainfall across Atlanta has saved the city from experiencing its driest year on record. The most arid year ever recorded for Atlanta was in 1954 when just 31.8 inches (807mm) of rain fell over the course of the year.
Meteorologists had expected this year to break that record, but an increase in the amount of rainfall over the weekend has brought the total to 31.85 inches (809mm). A series of rainstorms before Christmas also helped the city to exceed the total, with Atlanta receiving rain on ten of the last twelve days.
More than one third of south- east USA is in the midst of an ‘exceptional drought’, the worst category on the scale. Rain has been sparse across many cities in Georgia, with the water level in Lake Lanier reaching an all time low at the end of last week. Atlanta is in the centre of the worst affected region, which includes Tennessee, Alabama and North and South Carolina. The rain is forecast to ease into next week, with a return to a drier spell of weather.
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