KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Fall 2023 was the 2nd driest fall on record in Knoxville with only 2.90" of rain from September 1st through November 30th.
That's only 28% of average rainfall for the season!
We came into December with 5.48" rainfall deficit for the year-to-date but a wet start to the month is already making a big difference.
A strong cold front brought 2"-3" of rain to parts of East Tennessee on the 2nd.
The 2.26" measured at the McGhee Tyson Airport set a new daily rainfall record for the date!
December is typically one of the wettest months of the year and we've already had more than half of our average MONTHLY rainfall!
The above-average precipitation has made a huge difference in the latest drought monitor.
The biggest changes can be seen in the Valley where a large portion of the "extreme" drought has been erased, although we can still see some of that red along the eastern edge of the Plateau.
We also saw improvement in our eastern counties and we have another chance for decent rainfall again this weekend.
Long-range models from the Climate Prediction Center show the potential for a drier pattern to develop during the middle of the month with below-average rainfall favored from December 11th to 15th.
It took two and a half months for this drought to develop so it's going to take time for these dry conditions to go away but if we keep seeing regular rain events for the rest of the month, it will set us up well moving into 2024.
