Don't let numbers confuse you. Meteorologists report that the Chattanooga area has received about two inches more rain this year than normal. That is true. It also is misleading.
The region is now abnormally dry and some locales in Tennessee are approaching drought status. That's because much of the rain this year came during winter and spring. Recently, rainfall has been less frequent, well below average over the last three months. The high heat of recent weeks has exacerbated the lack of moisture.
The impact of dry conditions isn't readily visible here - yet. Most trees and lawns remain green and there have been few reports of crop damage. There are tell-tale signs that changes are on the way if significant rains do not occur.
Soil moisture levels are dropping and crop growth is slowing in places. Both are especially noticeable in much of Georgia, one of 14 states in an arc that curves from Arizona to the Carolinas that are in the grip of extreme drought. More than half the state is in that category. Louisiana officials say this is the second driest year in 121 years of record keeping. It's not much better in Texas or Oklahoma.
Summer showers and thunderstorms are welcome and deliver locally heavy precipitation, but they rarely provide drought relief. More persistent, soaking rains are required to break the drought. Scientists say it likely will take a singular event - the slow passage of a tropical weather system over the region - to do so. Even that could be a mixed blessing. Copious rains might dent the drought, but could produce flooding.
The tri-state area, so far, has escaped the worst of the drought. That does not mean people here are immune to consequences. Drought-induced increases in the cost of food will directly everyone.
The price of meat is already rising as producers reduce herds and flocks as grazing lands dry up and the cost of fodder and feed skyrockets. Drought has sharply cut wheat, corn, oats and other grain production, pushing prices up. Given the ubiquity of those foodstuffs in the American diet, the additional cost could be prohibitive.
There is, of course, little that can be done about the weather. Long-range forecasts do suggest an easing of the drought in some areas. Until that is proved true, all consumers can do is hope for beneficial rather than destructive rains.