It did rain last night, I'm not sure how much. Unfortunately I think that's in for awhile....

We got about 0.3" (30-35 mi E of Atl). Enough to perk up the hydrangeas and other stressed plants. I don't know how much extra drinking water that means we have -- a few days, I guess. BTW, Pike Nurseries, a large, local chain of nurseries filed for bankruptcy yesterday because of the drought.

Yes, that is sad about Pikes, but they are remaining in business, so that's good.

I think we got about an inch. But my rainbarrels are full! I think they are a great idea and anyone who gardens should get them. Even if there is no drought, rainwater is much better for plants than water from the hose.

What about that guy down there that was using 250,000 gallons a month. How much water do you have to save so he can water his garden? Though I see he has cut back to 2,000 gallons or just over ten times the average usage in the US.
With 5 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, I'm wondering what his problem is!

Is it true that there is an exemption from the outdoor watering ban for golf courses? that just does not sound right to me. I understand the tourist aspect, but turf or humans?

I'm not sure about the golf courses. I think 2000 a month is 'average' unfortunately. I know that's what we use when we aren't watering a lot. It does sound like a lot. It will be interesting to see what our usage is for the past month with no outdoor watering and trying to conserve inside.

In the SouthWestern states, most golf courses nowadays are watered with "reclaimed" water.
(So is the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden.)
This is a very very good way to preserve growing things, in days when water is tight.

I might mention that at 10:45 a.m., it was 88 degrees in the shade of an old avocado tree, at the bottom of my garden
On the back patio, it was 83 degrees.
On top of the roof where windspeed is measured, it's already 88 degrees.
This is pretty discouraging, for the 15th of November, with no rain in sight.
The only good news is that the wind is very light, even tho it's still blowing mostly from the East.

Jeri in Hot, Dry, Coastal Southern California

Snow advisory for tonight for our mountains (the same ones that have drainage going downstream to Lake Lanier.) Moisture coming either from Canada or the Great Lakes.
We got rain (in the past nine days almost two inches, so we might be getting some into the ground water.) Even in the highest rain, there's not any visible run off (except where the idiot on the hill to our north scraped the grass off three years ago and never reseeded), and that may not be good for replenishment of the reservoirs that the big cities depend on. (His red scar on the landscape is only so big.)

Runoff wouldn't be good for them either. Water that soaks in and is filtered by the topsoil is what is good for lakes and reservoirs. Runoff produces erosion, mud and floods.

bboy,
You're right, but what you say is really, really depressing. The thought of having to refill the area's soil moisture before any re-accumulation of water in the surface reservoirs is mind boggling. Where we see construction work being done, there's a good twenty to thirty feet of dry 'soil' that they're cutting into with their large dozers. The soil moisture hasn't been there since June.
So...we do get some water in late fall and winter. Will any of it replenish?