Drought Information Statement For East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Southwest North Carolina Valid January 4, 2024 Issued By: WFO Morristown, TN Contact Information: sr-mrx.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated in the next week or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/mrx/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for the NWS Morristown CWA Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None. D3 (Extreme Drought): Extreme western Plateau. D2 (Severe Drought): Southeast Tennessee, Cherokee and Clay counties of North Carolina, and parts of the Cumberland Plateau. D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of the northern Plateau, central and northeast Tennessee, and southwest Virginia. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Parts of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee to Knoxville and southwest. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Link to the latest 1-week change map for the Southern Appalachians Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None No Change: Most places outside of the Plateau and central Valley Drought Improved: Portions of the Plateau and central and southern Valley Precipitation Precipitation has been slightly below normal in most places. Temperature Temperatures have been above normal for the last 4 weeks. Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Stream flows continue to be near normal for most locations. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is near normal for agriculture. Fire Hazard Impacts Tennessee Forestry has reported little to no fire activity. Other Impacts Stay tuned for future updates. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Continue to abide by local burning bans and regulations. . Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Streamflows have improved over much of the area. Image Caption: USGS 7 day average streamflow HUC map valid 12/27/2023. Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture has improved. Recent dry weather has resulted in some drier soil conditions over the past week. Fire Hazard Impacts Latest TN Burn Ban map available here. Latest VA Burn Ban map available here. Latest NC Burn Ban information available here. Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Moderate to locally heavy rainfall is expected over the next 7 days. 2 different systems will bring multiple rounds of rain: the first being mainly Friday night through Saturday, then the 2nd being mainly Monday night through Tuesday evening. Rapid Onset Drought Outlook Links to the latest Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook. No rapid drought onset is expected. Heavy precipitation is increasingly possible beyond the 7-day forecast, i.e. around January 13th. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Equal chances for above or below normal temperatures in January. Periods of above normal and below normal. temperatures are expected. We’ll be between below normal precipitation across the Ohio Valley and wetter than normal conditions across the Southeast U.S. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought conditions have been steadily improving across the region. They will continue to improve or persist with far eastern areas forecast to end drought altogether. Links to the latest: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook