Your lawn is so dry it's crunchy, right down to the weeds. The grass is too weary to grow, unlike your electric bill, which has eclipsed even the reading on the thermometer.
All tell the same story: This has been one of Atlanta's hottest and driest summers on record, according to Office of the State Climatologist.
"We've seen unrelenting heat," said assistant state climatologist Pam Knox. "It feels the same day after day: hot and humid."
Atlanta saw an average high temperature of 92.5 degrees for the months of June, July and August, 4.5 degrees above normal. Those readings, taken at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, make this beast of a summer the third hottest in the 133 years on record.
Making matters worse, this has been Atlanta's ninth driest summer, with only 6.38 inches of rain recorded, roughly half the average.
The lack of moisture only makes the sun meaner. With little moisture in the air or on the ground, the sun is left to bake the surface of the earth, Knox said.
"When we're dry, more energy from the sun goes into heating the soil rather than evaporating water," Knox said. "We tend to have years with highest daytime temperatures in times of drought."
Most of Georgia south of the mountains, meaning most of the state, is in an extreme drought, and the outlook for near-term releif is not promising, said state climatologist David Stooksbury. Metro Atlanta is experiencing a mix of moderate, severe and extreme drought.
A persistent high-pressure system extending from Bermuda west through Georgia has suppressed thunderstorm formation, ensuring "day after day of nice, clear sunny skies and no chance of rain that could come in and cool things down," Knox said.
So lake and reservoir levels continue to drop, with some boat ramps closing. Drought-stricken south Georgia saw several wild fires. Some small communities had to ship in water, and frustrated farmers watched as crops withered or refused to grow.
Temperatures in Atlanta didn't break many daily records this summer; we just rarely got a break from the heat.
As hot as this summer has been for Atlanta, it was even hotter in the summers of 1980 (an average high of 92.9) and 1993 (92.52, beating out this year by just .02 degrees).
As though that's any relief.
Readings from throughout the state have yet to be compiled, but Knox expects this summer to be among the hottest in the state's history. Alma, Athens, Augusta, Columbus and Savannah reported their highest average temperatures ever.
The long-term isn't shaping up to be much better.
Looking to the winter, there are signs that the region could be in for another season of La Niña, a weather system that brings drier, warmer conditions than normal.
“If La Niña does come back this winter, the outlook for the early spring planting season is not good,” Knox said.
And if you need any more evidence of how bad it is, consider this: "Our best chance of breaking the drought right now is to have a tropical storm come through," Knox said.
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