By Clint Thompson
A looming La Niña weather pattern means the current dry conditions across the Southeast are likely to worsen over the next couple of months, according to, Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist.
“We’re going into a La Niña winter, and typically a La Niña winter means we are more likely to have a warmer and drier winter than usual. That’s especially going to be true down in South Georgia, South Alabama and in Florida. It’s probably going to be a weak one, so North Georgia and North Alabama are going to be less affected by that,” Knox said.
“I definitely think that, even with the rain we’ve gotten, and it isn’t that much, it’s going to be hard to get enough recharge in the soil over the winter to really have the farmers ready for next spring. I do worry about having an early-spring dry spell that may make it hard for seeds to germinate. It may be good for getting field work done, but you’ve got to have moisture if you’re going to plant the crops.”
The southern part of the Southeast region is experiencing the driest conditions, according to the Nov. 13 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Extreme drought conditions are seen across South Georgia and North Florida, while severe drought is seen in the southeastern part of Alabama.