In a word, the climate for north/central Georgia throughout 2005 was variable. January started out warm and dry, with Atlanta, Athens, Columbus, and Macon all reaching at least 71 degrees on the 4th. In fact, the warmth was quite persistent with Columbus achieving 70 degrees or more in 9 of the first 12 days of the month, and Macon accomplishing the feat a remarkable 13 times in the first 14 days of the New Year. Temperatures plummeted during the last half of the month, setting the stage for an ice storm January 28th and 29th with accumulations between a 1/4 and 3/4 of an inch of sleet and freezing rain over a broad area of north and central Georgia.

February experienced moderating temperatures, as Atlanta fell to 32 degrees or lower on just 4 days. There were warmer temperatures in store for the end of the month, with Columbus setting a record high temperature of 79 degrees on the 22nd. Precipitation-wise, a wetter than normal pattern persisted, as all 4 cities recorded a surplus in rainfall. A cool March followed, but precipitation continued in abundance at all four locations with excesses ranging from 37% above normal at Athens to 55.4% above normal in Columbus. The cool, wet trend continued through April. A late month polar air mass ushered in near freezing temperatures.

Cooler than normal temperatures continued into May and precipitation totals were below average in Atlanta, Athens and Macon. A record amount of rainfall (3.49 inches) on the last day of the month kept Columbus from tallying a substantial monthly deficit. In contrast, Atlanta received less than half its normal monthly precipitation, while experiencing its coolest May since 1997. Also, the cool temperatures were quite prevalent, with Athens and Columbus recording their 8th and 9th coolest May on record, respectively.

June began with very cool temperatures across north Georgia. Persistent easterly winds trapped cool, damp air against the southern Appalachians June 1 - 3rd. High temperatures returned to near normal in both Atlanta and Athens on the 4th, but overall both cities were below normal for the month. June also experienced very tropical air, which triggered an abundance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. This resulted in the 3rd wettest June on record in Columbus with 8.80 inches of rainfall, while Athens was soaked with 10.25 inches, their 6th wettest June ever. Macon followed with 6.49 inches, enough for their 10th wettest June, while Atlanta was the only one to post a deficit (-0.72 inches) for the month.

During early July, Georgia was significantly impacted by the remnants of tropical systems Cindy and Dennis. Striking the state within days of each other, Cindy arrived on the 6th with flooding rainfall and tornadoes, one of which struck the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Rainfall ranged between 2 and 6 inches. Following close behind, Hurricane Dennis on the 9th and 10th brought particularly heavy and persistent outer bands of rain that stretched north/south from Americus to the Atlanta metro area. The result was a swath of 4 to 8+ inches of rainfall over a broad area of western Georgia. In their wake, tropical air helped fuel thunderstorms for several more days. The combination the 2nd wettest July on record in Atlanta with 14.63 inches of rainfall. This total was also enough for 4th wettest month ever in the capital city.

The deluge continued in August due to lingering tropical air and the affects from Hurricane Katrina late in the month. These added substantially to the already hefty summer rainfall amounts. For the 2nd straight month, all the major cities had monthly rainfall totals well above average. Atlanta lead the way with 8.28 inches for the month. August rainfall was also sufficient to set some summer season records, including the wettest June through August for Atlanta and Columbus.

With a dramatic shift in air mass, tropical air was replaced in September by a dry continental air mass. Atlanta nearly set a new record for its driest September. The record of just 0.04 inches of rain established in 1984 was challenged when 0.07 of an inch was recorded by month's end. In similar fashion, Macon and Athens witnessed their driest September ever, when only 0.02 and 0.17 inches were recorded, respectively. Along with the dry conditions came an influx of above normal temperatures. Columbus set the warmest average monthly temperature on record with 80.3 degrees, while Macon tied its 7th warmest and Athens recorded its 9th warmest September. Although at times not as extreme, this period of warmer and drier than normal conditions continued through October and November. Additionally, during these 2 months, Macon nearly equaled its longest streak ever of consecutive days, without any measurable precipitation. From October 8th through November 19th - Macon received just a trace of rainfall which established the 2nd longest dry spell there at 43 days – the record of 46 days was set in the Fall of 1939.

In December, the dry, mild conditions were replaced by a series of cold air outbreaks, accompanied by a rather active storm track across the central U.S. The result was below normal temperatures. In December temperatures dropped below freezing 10 times in the first 14 days. Sufficient precipitation through most of the month added to the already above normal totals for the year in Atlanta, Athens, Macon and Columbus.