Wildfire Concerns Remain

Good morning! The big topic of the day, and will remain to be, are the extremely dry conditions across East Tennessee/the region and the wildfires which have resulted. Looking at the on-going fire map below, you can see SEVERAL wildfires in Kentucky, the Virginia's, portions of East Tennessee, and North Carolina. There does not look to be a true end in sight, as last nights rain into this morning did very little to anything to mitigate. The one positive are the cooler temperatures and brief recovery in moisture in the air (today and this weekend). Much drier air mass then filters back in early next week. Our next shot at meaningful rainfall won't arrive until a week out (towards next Friday). Please obey local burn bans and fire laws, and if possible, limit any burning altogether. Fires can quickly get out of control in such a dry environment we are in, as this compares to the drought we faced in 2016 and the historic wildfires we saw in the Smokies.

So looking at the drought, it should not come as a surprise that it has gotten worse. Looking across the southern valley, we are now at the highest grade of drought we can be in: exceptional. Elsewhere, extreme and severe drought remain. I expect for this to continue to get worse again in the next release, before a more active pattern sets up mid to late month- hopefully dumping some healthy rains across the region.

Here is an image we captured on a local webcam last night depicting a few areas of spotty fires in the Smokies. 

Aside from the drought and wildfires, the weekend looks more or less cloudy. A few isolated showers/sprinkles will be possible through early this afternoon, followed by a very low end chance of rain tomorrow and Sunday. High pressure then brings dry weather and much better sunshine early to mid next week. Temperatures will also warm back up into the low and mid 60s during this time. Have a good one, stay safe, and happy Veterans Day!

Pre-recorded for 5pm weather broadcast