Atlanta Ties 132-Year-Old Record for Rain-Free Days

ATLANTA, GA — On Friday morning, Atlanta tied its longest stretch of going without rain since the 1800s.

It's been 39 days since Atlanta received a measurable amount of rain.

That ties the city's longest dry spell ever, which was recorded in 1884, according to WSB-TV meteorologists.

The current rainless streak, which began on October 17, is expected to break the record tomorrow and keep right on going.

The National Weather Service predicts clear and sunny skies every day this weekend. On Monday night, there is a 50 percent chance of some rain showers, followed by a 60 percent chance on Tuesday.

The long dry spell has helped plunge much of north Georgia into extreme drought conditions.

Last month marked the 3rd hottest and 8th driest October on record in Atlanta history, according to the Weather Service.

Gov. Nathan Deal has declared a Level 2 drought response in 52 Georgia counties, including all of metro Atlanta. That includes outdoor watering restrictions and burning bans.

The counties assigned a Level 2 Drought Response are: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Athens-Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Harris, Heard, Henry, Jackson, Lamar, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Murray, Newton, Oconee, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Rockdale, Spalding, Troup, Union, Upson, Walker, Walton, White and Whitfield.

If the region's dry spell does, in fact, break early next week, emergency officials are hoping the rain will be enough to help quench a series of wildfires that have burned for weeks in northern Georgia — abetted, in part, by the severely dry conditions.

As of Thursday, seven wildfires remained active in north Georgia, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission.

The largest, the Rough Ridge Fire in Fannin County, had engulfed nearly 28,000 acres in north-central Georgia near the Tennessee and North Carolina state lines. It was considered 66 percent contained on Thursday, according to the commission.

Images courtesy Shutterstock, Georgia Forestry Commission