Drought on WACN 21 News

Soaking May rains ease Georgia drought, but Lake Lanier still lags behind

Thu, 28 May 2026 10:00:00 -0400

After months of watching reservoirs shrink and stream gauges plummet, Georgia caught a break in May.

Metro Atlanta recorded more than five inches of rain during the month — well above the historical average and enough to rank May 2026 among the wettest on record for parts of the state. The rainfall recharged topsoil moisture, greened up parched lawns, and provided meaningful relief to farmers in south Georgia who had been drawing heavily on irrigation wells.

Flash Flooding Swamps Downtown Connector, Midtown as Storms Pound Metro Atlanta

Wed, 20 May 2026 16:45:00 -0400

A line of severe thunderstorms tore across metro Atlanta Wednesday afternoon, dumping several inches of rain in under two hours and sending floodwater cascading across the Downtown Connector, through Midtown intersections, and into low-lying neighborhoods on the city’s west side.

The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning for Fulton and DeKalb counties shortly after 3 p.m. By 4 p.m., the consequences were visible across the city.

Downtown Connector Submerged

The most dramatic flooding occurred along the Downtown Connector — the merged stretch of Interstates 75 and 85 that carries more than 300,000 vehicles per day through the heart of the city.

Georgia declares statewide Level 1 drought response as reservoir levels drop

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:30:00 -0400

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division declared a statewide Level 1 Drought Response on Sunday, citing record-low stream flows and deepening reservoir deficits that have pushed roughly 80 percent of the state into extreme or exceptional drought categories.

It is the most significant drought declaration the state has issued since the severe water crisis of 2007.

Lake Lanier’s slide

The state’s largest water source tells the story in numbers. Lake Lanier sat at approximately 1,065.7 feet above mean sea level as of Sunday afternoon — more than five feet below the Army Corps of Engineers’ full-pool target of 1,071 feet.