No. 6 story of 2016: We’re in the grip of drought, and it just won’t rain

“When’s the last time it rained?”

How many times did you hear that question this fall — and with good reason.

As the month of October rolled over deep into November, there was nary a drop from the skies.

In all, the Macon area went 52 straight days without rain. That broke a record last set in 1893, when the midstate had a 47-day dry spell.

On Nov. 29, Macon finally got about a half-inch of rain. That was the first official rainfall since Oct. 7.

And, as you’d figure, most of Middle Georgia is still having exceptional or extreme drought conditions.

In the last six months, the Macon area has had 14.10 inches of rain, far below the usual 22.37 inches.

Since Jan. 1, we’ve had 33.28 inches. The yearly norm is 45.69 inches, which means a possible end-of-year deficit of more than 12 inches.

And relief may be hard to come by. The 2017 Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts below-normal precipitation this winter.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 12:00 PM with the headline "No. 6 story of 2016: We’re in the grip of drought, and it just won’t rain."