PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA 1035 AM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003 ...HOW WET AND COOL HAS IT BEEN IN GEORGIA... THE PERIOD FROM MAY THROUGH JULY HAS BEEN ONE OF THE WETTEST ON RECORD. COLUMBUS IS ALREADY THE WETTEST ON RECORD...WHILE ATLANTA IS 3RD WETTEST...MACON 4TH WETTEST...AND ATHENS IS 7TH WETTEST ON RECORD FROM MAY THROUGH JULY. THERE ARE STILL 3 DAYS LEFT IN THE MONTH TO MOVE UP THE LIST TOO. THIS WET PERIOD BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER OF 2002. IT HAS BEEN A WET PERIOD SINCE THEN. FOR THE 11 MONTH PERIOD...MACON IS 2ND WETTEST...ATLANTA IS 5TH WETTEST...COLUMBUS IS 7TH WETTEST...AND ATHENS IS 9TH WETTEST. YOU MAY ALSO WONDER IF IT HAS BEEN A COOL SPRING AND SUMMER. THE ANSWER IS YES AND NO. THE WET SOIL CONDITIONS HAVE LED TO MORE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION THAN NORMAL...WHICH HAS KEPT MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES DOWN...BUT IT HAS ALSO KEPT MINIMUM TEMPERATURES UP. THEREFORE...THE COOLING IMPACT HAS BEEN CONFINED TO HIGH TEMPERATURES...ESPECIALLY 90 AND ABOVE. FOR THE YEAR THROUGH JULY 28TH...ATLANTA AND ATHENS HAVE HAD THE FEWEST NUMBER OF 90 PLUS DAYS. ATLANTA HAS HAD JUST ONE...WHILE ATHENS HAS ONLY HAD 5. AVERAGE FOR ATLANTA IS 21 YEAR-TO-DATE... WHILE ATHENS SHOULD AVERAGE 31 YEAR-TO-DATE. COLUMBUS HAS HAD THEIR 4TH FEWEST AT 26...WHILE AVERAGE IS 42 YEAR-TO-DATE. FOR MACON...THEY HAVE HAD 39 YEAR-TO-DATE...WHILE AVERAGE FOR THEM IS 42. AFTER BEING THE DRIEST ON RECORD FOR OVER 100 YEARS FOR MUCH OF NORTH GEORGIA FROM 1999 TO 2001...WE HAVE NOW ENTERED ONE OF THE WETTER PERIODS ON RECORD. FOR ATLANTA...FROM 1999 TO 2001...112.80 INCHES OF RAINFALL OCCURRED...WHICH WAS AN AVERAGE OF 37.60 INCHES. FOR THE LAST 11 MONTHS...ATLANTA HAS RECEIVED OVER 60 INCHES. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES. SOME AREAS IN NORTH GEORGIA HAVE HAD OVER 80 INCHES FOR THE 11 MONTH PERIOD. MOST OF THE AREA HAS HAD 50 TO 80 INCHES. SOME UNOFFICIAL REPORTS OF AROUND 90 INCHES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FOR THIS PERIOD. THEREFORE...IF YOU THINK IT IS WET...IT IS! RAINFALL FOR THE PERIOD MAY THROUGH JULY CITY RAINFALL YEAR ATLANTA 23.41 1989 23.16 1991 22.44 2003...3RD WETTEST ON RECORD ATHENS 26.88 1967 23.98 1994 23.70 1959 23.53 1919 22.89 1991 22.79 1963 21.33 2003...7TH WETTEST ON RECORD COLUMBUS 22.87 2003...1ST WETTEST ON RECORD 21.88 1971 21.34 1989 MACON 26.45 1923 25.45 1994 21.54 1984 21.49 2003...4TH WETTEST ON RECORD RAINFALL FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 1 THROUGH JULY 28TH CITY RAINFALL YEAR ATLANTA 65.30 1983-84 65.03 1919-20 61.97 1888-89 61.54 1880-81 61.39 2002-03...5TH WETTEST ON RECORD ATHENS 67.56 1963-64 63.42 1918-19 60.88 1997-98 59.31 1921-22 59.31 1983-84 58.50 1989-90 58.19 1962-63 56.87 1911-12 56.83 2002-03...9TH WETTEST ON RECORD COLUMBUS 60.79 1948-49 59.86 1970-71 59.04 1963-64 57.97 1986-87 57.80 1974-75 57.30 1972-73 57.13 2002-03...7TH WETTEST ON RECORD MACON 64.57 1911-12 58.21 2002-03...2ND WETTEST ON RECORD FEWEST 90+ DAYS CITY 90+ DAYS JAN THROUGH JUL 28TH ATLANTA 1 2003 1 1961 1 1884 2 1967 2 1965 2 1910 3 1975 21 AVERAGE TO DATE ATHENS 5 2003 7 1974 7 1906 8 1949 8 1910 31 AVERAGE TO DATE COLUMBUS 19 1994 22 1967 23 1997 26 2003 42 AVERAGE TO DATE MACON 11 1910 39 2003...CURRENTLY CLOSE TO AVERAGE...NOT IN TOP 10 42 AVERAGE TO DATE PRELIMINARY RAINFALL FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH JULY FOR OTHER CITIES... CITY RAINFALL ALLATOONA 67.70 ATLANTA BOLTON 69.63 CANTON 61.49 CARROLLTON 80.44 CEDARTOWN 75.14 CHATSWORTH 70.10 DOUGLASVILLE 82.61 ELLIJAY 70.24 GAINESVILLE 73.51 HELEN (AUTO) 80.38 PEACHTREE-DEKALB 67.63 ROME 68.71 WEST POINT 63.34 IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS...YOU CAN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 770-486-1133. $$ NOEL HYDROLOGIST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE