2014: Dry Year for Lake Hartwell

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

While 2015 is off to a fairly wet start, a look back at 2014 shows it was a dry year for Lake Hartwell.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, observed rainfall in the upper basin recorded deficits in 2014 for all three sub-basins, but Lake Hartwell’s deficit was the biggest.

Lake Hartwell received 48.2 inches of rain in 2014, 10.7 inches below its average for a year.

The Corps said that Lake Hartwell only exceeded its average rainfall in two months last year, April and October.

In comparison, Lake Thurmond exceeded average rainfall five months out of the year.

Corps Spokesman Russell Wicke said that compared to 2013, which was the second wettest year on record for Lakes Hartwell and Thurmond, 2014 proved to be a fairly uneventful year in terms of precipation.

Wicke said December turned out to be an exceptionally dry month until December 23 for all three-sub basins before getting some Christmas relief.

The rain that fell near the end of last month brought Lake Hartwell near its average rainfall for December, while it took Lakes Thurmond and Russell above their average rainfall totals for December.