PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
1030 PM EDT WED OCT 1 2003

...WET PATTERN ENDS FOR NOW WITH A RETURN TO NORMAL OR DRIER THAN 
NORMAL WEATHER IN OCTOBER...

SYNOPSIS...
THE WET WEATHER PATTERN FROM SEPTEMBER OF 2002 INTO 
AUGUST OF 2003 APPEARS TO HAVE COME TO AN END. RAINFALL WAS BELOW 
NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF NORTH AND MIDDLE GEORGIA DURING 
SEPTEMBER...GENERALLY IN THE 60 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL RANGE.

12 MONTH DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE RAINFALLS PEAKED FOR THE PERIOD 
FROM SEPTEMBER 2002 THROUGH AUGUST 2003...WITH RAINFALL DEPARTURES 
AVERAGING 17 TO 20 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...WITH ISOLATED POCKETS OF 25 
TO 30 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE LATEST 12 MONTH RAINFALL DEPARTURES 
INDICATE DEPARTURES ACROSS NORTH AND MIDDLE GEORGIA HAVE STOPPED 
GROWING AND REVERSED TRENDS. FOR THE PERIOD FROM OCTOBER OF 2002 
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2003...THE DEPARTURES HAVE FALLEN TO 12 TO 15 
INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.

HYDROLOGIC IMPACT...
RIVER FLOWS ACROSS MIDDLE GEORGIA HAVE RETURNED TO NEAR NORMAL FOR 
OCTOBER...WHILE THEY REMAIN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL IN NORTH GEORGIA. 
LAKES LEVELS HAVE ALSO BEGUN DROPPING IN RECENT WEEKS...WHICH IS 
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. HOWEVER...THEY REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL 
FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE...LAKE LANIER WAS 1070 FEET 
ON OCTOBER 1 VERUS AN AVERAGE OF BETWEEN 1065 AND 1066 FOR THIS TIME 
OF THE YEAR.

OUTLOOK...
THE OUTLOOK FOR OCTOBER CALL FOR NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES...WITH 
NEAR AVERAGE TO SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL.  THE COOLER THAN 
NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH EARLY OCTOBER...SHOULD RETURN TO NORMAL 
BY THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. RAINFALL LOOKS TO BE LIMITED THROUGH THE 
MIDDLE OF THE MONTH...WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE SECOND HALF OF 
THE MONTH.

LINKS...
YOU CAN KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC INFORMATION BY 
VISITING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT...

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC...SELECT LAKES & RIVERS...

YOU CAN ALSO SEE OUR NEW ADVANCED HYDROLGIC PREDICTION SERVICE 
PROVIDING DETAILED INFORMATION FOR POINTS ALONG THE RIVERS AT...

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/FFC...SELECT AHPS...

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NOEL...HYDROLOGIST