Stephens Co. Out of Exceptional Drought

A wet start to 2017 has improved drought conditions in Stephens County, according to the year’s first Drought Monitor report.

That report, which was released last week, shows that Stephens County and all of north Georgia that was in “exceptional drought” has moved back into the second-worst level on the drought monitor, “extreme drought.”

Stephens, Habersham, Banks, and Franklin counties are all in “extreme drought.”

Part of far northeastern Rabun County has moved back to “severe drought,” which is a step below “extreme drought.”

Stephens County had been in “exceptional drought” since the middle of November.

Overall, no part of the state is now in “exceptional drought,” compared to a quarter of the state a week prior.

19 percent of the state is in “extreme drought,” compared to almost half of the state the week before.