AUGUSTA, Ga. - Augusta's official 2009 rainfall deficit is quickly rising toward 6 inches, with little rain in the forecast.

The latest Drought Monitor, issued Sept. 1, shows parts of our area in abnormally dry conditions, or DO drought status. Drought is ranked on a scale of 0 to 4, with D4 being exceptional drought.

DO drought includes areas just to the north and west of Augusta. In the upstate of South Carolina, several counties are now experiencing D1, or moderate drought.

Typically, September through November (meteorological autumn) mark Augusta's driest season of the year. So, we're already getting the fall season started off on a dry note.

Average Rainfall in Augusta
Based on 1971-2000 average
September: 3.59"
October: 3.20"
November: 2.68"

The good news is that many parts of the CSRA did receive several bouts of heavy downpours in August, so some areas are not as dry as others.

More potentially good news is that El Nino has developed. El Nino is a weather phenomenon that occurs when equatorial east Pacific Ocean water temperatures are above average. El Nino typically brings above average rainfall to Augusta during the fall and winter months. The bad news is that the El Nino cycle we're currently in has not verified to be as strong as was forecast by many computer models. Therefore, its impact on our area may not be as great, meaning rainfall amounts may be closer to normal or even below normal going into the fall and winter.

The NBC Augusta StormTracker weather team maintains a drought information page that is updated daily, including an analysis of drought conditions, drought maps, and how the weather forecast will impact the drought situation.

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