Drought Declared in 53 Georgia Counties

Environmental officials say a drought has been declared in north Georgia and metro Atlanta.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division announced in a news release Friday that 53 counties are experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions.

Water officials say restrictions may not be imposed on outdoor watering. For now, the outdoor watering schedule remains the same between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m.

EPD director Richard Dunn says the drought response is an opportunity to teach the importance of using water wisely.

Some of the counties include Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Habersham and Bartow.

State climatologist Bill Murphy says drought conditions are likely to continue through the fall season. He says the fall season is historically known as a dry time.