Rainfall Improves Drought Conditions Across UC

This weekend’s rainfall drastically improved water capacity and soil moisture across the Upper Cumberland.

This from State Climatologist Andrew Joyner who said the rain may help the region avoid repeating the major winter droughts it saw in the last two years. Joyner said the steady rain our region saw since Friday will be particularly helpful.

“You’ve got very hard, compacted soils on top that don’t do too well with a lot of rain all at once,” Joyner said. “It almost treats it like it’s concrete and runs off. And so to have more soaking rain to where there can be more time for moisture to penetrate into the soil is really critical.”

Joyner said he is hopeful there will be more steady rain events without too much time between them in the near future. Joyner said the rain has also had an important environmental impact by raising water levels and boosting reservoir capacities.

“Around Chattanooga there were aquatic life rescues for the Laurel Dace, some of these endangered species that were really being impacted,” Joyner said. “I know there was, I think it was mussel die-off in the Duck River, so these types of rain events will definitely help those situations.”
the rain should reduce the need for water usage restrictions currently seen throughout the state.

Joyner said most of the agricultural damage done during the dry summer is already being felt and will not be fixed by the rain.

“For a few maybe they’ll be able to get another cutting after this but it’s a little bit late in the year,” Joyner said. “A lot of farmers had already sold a lot of their cattle which, you know, that’s a big economic loss to them.”

Southern portions of the Upper Cumberland ranked in severe drought last week, before the rains from Hurricane Helene. The region received over three inches of rain from the storm.