Stephens Co. Enters Extreme Drought

Drought conditions are worsening in Stephens County.

The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor now has Stephens County in a state of “extreme drought.”

This is a level more severe than “severe drought,” where Stephens County had been.

Also, “extreme drought” is the second worst level of drought that exists on the Drought Monitor’s scale.

Only “exceptional drought” is worse.

Stephens County is part of a section of northeast Georgia that is currently in “extreme drought,” along with Banks, Franklin, and Hart counties, as well as eastern Habersham County and southern Rabun County.

Other areas of “extreme drought” exist in northwest and west central Georgia.

Moderate to severe drought covers the rest of north Georgia, as 55 percent of the state is currently seeing either drought or “abnormally dry” conditions.

That is up from 48 percent of the state last week and 45 percent of the state at this time one year ago.