May rainfall breaks 25-year high mark, threatens historic record set in 1929
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The Republic Center and Liberty Tower reflect in a flooded parking lot on May 28, 2025. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The Republic Center and Liberty Tower reflect in a flooded parking lot on May 28, 2025.
Rainfall totals in the Chattanooga region in May broke a 25-year high of 11.55 inches by Wednesday morning, and by Saturday, accumulations could topple the 96-year-old record of 12 inches set in 1929.
“Looks like, unofficially, we had 0.83 inches of rainfall Tuesday, which brought the total to 11.55 inches for May,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jeremy Buckles said in a phone interview. “That puts us in second place to 1929.”
Between 12 a.m. and 10 a.m. Wednesday, showers unofficially added another 0.14 inches, bringing the total to 11.69 inches for the month, Buckles said.
Staff photo by Abby White / Raindrops gather on the underside of a lawn chair May 28, 2025. Following a dry 2024, Chattanooga enjoyed the wettest February through April since 2022 and the wettest May since 2020.Staff photo by Abby White / Raindrops fall and splash onto a fence post May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Raindrops fall and splash onto a fence post May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Raindrops splash on the surface of the Tennessee River on May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The Republic Center and Liberty Tower reflect in a flooded parking lot on May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / The Republic Center and Liberty Tower reflect in a flooded parking lot on May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Water splashes off the tires of a truck on Suck Creek Road on May 28, 2025.Staff photo by Abby White / Raindrops gather on the roof of a car May 28, 2025. Following a dry 2024, Chattanooga enjoyed the wettest February through April since 2022 and the wettest May since 2020.Staff photo by Abby White / Rainwater runs out of a gutter onto the ground May 28, 2025. Following a dry 2024, Chattanooga enjoyed the wettest February through April since 2022 and the wettest May since 2020.Staff photo by Abby White / Rainwater runs out of a gutter onto the ground May 28, 2025. Following a dry 2024, Chattanooga enjoyed the wettest February through April since 2022 and the wettest May since 2020.
“The normal monthly total is 3.47 inches, so we are way, way, way above that,” he said.
The forecast calls for more rain heading into the weekend, potentially threatening the 1929 record.
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