Despite a splash of rain Monday, state climatologists say many Southeast Tennessee counties have plunged into an extreme drought as weeks of dry conditions have left the Chattanooga region 4-10 inches behind in rainfall for the past six months.
“Moderate to severe levels of drought are now being experienced across the majority of the state,” Tennessee Climate Office officials said in a statement. “Except for small pockets along the Tennessee-Kentucky border, we’re seeing monthly rainfall totals of 1 inch or less for the state. Stream flow levels are continuing to drop, soils are drying and reports of impacts to agriculture are beginning to trickle in to condition monitoring observer reports.”
Record dry conditions in September didn’t improve going into October as nearly all of Tennessee now is experiencing drought conditions ranging from abnormally dry in the northeast part of the state to extreme drought in southern portions, including the Chattanooga region, according to the Climate Office in Johnson City.
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