2007 brought record cold, record heat, and near record drought to Georgia-Carolina.

Augusta experienced one of the coldest Masters Tournaments in recent memory, with highs the first full week in April struggling to reach the 50s and record lows in the 20s. The late freeze damaged many crops and plants all across the area.

2007 will be remembered most, however, for the record heat and the extremely dry conditions, brought on by a stubborn area of high pressure over the southeastern states and a developing La Nina weather pattern.

La Nina is a term used to refer to the cooling of Pacific Ocean waters off the coast of South America. Typically, La Nina brings drier than average conditions to much of the southeast.

The month of March should have given us a clue as to what the rest of the year would bring. Normally one of the wettest months of the year, March brought only half as much rain to Augusta as it normally does. That came after a drier than normal January and February.

April turned out to be a little drier than normal, but not as dry as March was. May was very dry, with less than an inch of rain falling during the month.

June brought a brief respite from the developing drought. Nearly five inches of rain fell. July started off wet and cool, but quickly turned dry in the middle of the month. Four record low temperatures were set in July, including a low of 61 on July 4.

August was the month we'll not soon forget. There were 10 record highs and 15 days with temperatures at or above 100 degrees. The month averaged 6.1 degrees warmer than normal and Augusta only reported 41 percent of normal rainfall.

On August 10, Augusta reached 108 degrees, tying the all-time record high first set on August 21, 1983.

Much of the southeast suffered through the effects of the drought and extremely hot temperatures. North Georgia was especially hit hard by the drought that left Lake Lanier at a near all-time record low level.

Unusually dry weather continued through the fall months with November only bringing 15 percent of its normal rainfall.

When December arrived, very little changed, at least during the first half of the month. A strong summer-like ridge of high pressure developed once again over the southeast, causing another round of record-breaking high temperatures. NBC Augusta was the first to tell you record-breaking temperatures were on the way. For five days beginning Dec. 9, highs reached the lower 80s, setting new records.

The weather pattern shifted mid-month, displacing the high pressure ridge, and allowing for more frequent rain-making storm systems and more moderate temperatures. In fact, on Dec. 15 and 16, Augusta received nearly three inches of rain, setting a new daily rainfall record for the 15th.

Again on Dec. 30, a new rainfall record was set for the date, with more than 2.1 inches of rain.

Before mid-December's rain, Augusta was on target to have the driest year on record. With near record rain in December, Augusta ends up with its 9th driest December on record.

For the year, Augusta ends with a rain deficit at 10.70 inches. The year ended with annual temperature 2.3 degrees above average.

Most forecasts for the first part of 2008 indicate the drought will continue, and temperatures will remain warmer than normal--exactly the forecast Augusta doesn't need.