From the US Army Corps of Engineers:

Now that it’s officially summer, the heat is on in more ways than one.

Namely, if the trend of sub-par precipitation doesn’t improve, the basin could enter drought level 1 before August. That same trajectory would bring us to drought level 2 before October.

If this seems alarming, consider that the equations used to estimate these dates assume the basin will receive 80 percent of the average monthly rainfall, which has only happened once since February.

In June, Lake Hartwell & Lake Russell received about 35 percent of their average rainfall (1.7 inches versus a 4.8 inch average, and 1.4 versus a 3.8 average, respectively), while Lake Thurmond collected 3 inches toward its 3.8-inch average.

The result? Lake Hartwell’s net inflows are currently 29 percent of normal; Lake Thurmond’s a mere 7 percent.

As we noted in a previous post, dry conditions can exacerbate the situation and make the reservoirs less responsive to rainfall when it does finally come.

These dire drought predictions could seem all too “Chicken Little”, which compounds the irony, as the sky falling is precisely what the basin needs.

______________________________________________________________

As a reminder, we’re still working to find a suitable solution for our readers to comment on the blog.

We’re currently using a Facebook plug-in, and although it states “Comments off” below, readers can still comment but must be logged into Facebook.

If you do not have a Facebook account, you can email (cesas-cco@usace.army.mil) us or call (912) 652-5279.

Jeremy S. Buddemeier, Corporate Communications Office