Monthly Rain-Water Totals
January----- (NR) ------ 3.10 ----- 4.35 ----- 5.65 ----- 8.75 ------ 4.10 ----- 9.22
February ---- (NR) ------ 1.45 ----- 5.07 ----- 3.43 ----- 3.50 ------ 5.15 ----- 1.20*
March ------ 4.05 ------- 3.45 ----- 5.86 ----- 5.75 ----- 3.62 ------ 7.56
April -------- 7.75 ------- 4.15 ----- 4.30 ------3.50 ----- 3.29 ----- 10.18
May -------- 2.22 ------- 3.35 ----- 3.96 ----- 9.50 ----- 7.34 ------ 2.05
June -------- 1.25 ------- 1.80 ------1.67 ----- 2.60 ----- 3.79 ------ 5.29
July --------- 6.10 ------- 2.30 ----- 5.61------ 5.36 ----- 5.82 ------ 3.81
August ----- 5.85 ------- 1.40 ----- 5.241----- 2.83 ----- 2.53 ------ 0.72
September 6.65 ------- 3.55 ----- 1.38 ----- 9.58 ----- 3.22 ----- 10.274
October ---- 6.55 ------- 2.50 ----- 1.80 ----- 6.65 ----- 4.582 ----- 3.44
November - 5.00 ------- 5.37------ 4.13 ----- 2.12 ----- 9.783 ----12.355
December - 3.40 ------- 2.82 ----- 7.54 ----- 9.03 ----- 1.23 ----- 6.00 _____
YEARLY
TOTALS --- 48.82 ---- 35.24 ---- 50.91---- 66.00 ---- 57.45 ---- 70.92 -----10.42*
(NR) not recorded
* measurement to date
UP= update pending-still raining-awaiting gauge reading .
Event Key
1-Tropical Storm Fay dumps 5.07 inches of rain Aug. 28th.
2-back to back storm systems end 43 day drought, 2.8 & 1.5 inches of rain Oct. 25 & 26th.
3-record rainwater (saturated soil) flooding /runoff event-(5.05 inches) Nov. 29-30th.
4-Tropical Storm Lee dumps 8.15 inches of steady rainfall Sept.4-6th ending a 46 day drought.
5 For the third time in 2011, the monthly rainfall total has set a new record as the result of a 5.92 inch event Nov. 27-29th.
NOTE: The 2011 rainfall total was twice that of 2007
Rainfall Narrative
2011 began with below average rainfall with a 4 week low rain period that extended from Jan 25 to Feb 24. In the last 4 days of February, a total of 3.98 inches fell, producing local flooding. An additional 2.96 inches fell on March 5 and 7, again causing local flooding. March ended with the highest March rainfall total since we began keeping records. On April 4th, strong T-storms deposited 2.08 inches, then on the 15th, an additional 3.15 inches fell, and then a final rain & T-storm event on the 27th which deposited another 3.23 inches.This rainfall total resulted in the wettest month (10.18") in our recorded data. In contrast May was a dry month, that also saw the beginning of the earliest recorded (NWS) heat wave (14 days of 90+ temps) that continued into mid-June. From June 12th through the 24th, severe storms repeatedly lashed East TN, uprooting trees, downing powerlines and dumping 5 inches of rain on the farm. A cluster of 3 rain events in mid-month July was bookended by two record breaking heat waves, the latter one turning into a drought as August set a record for the lowest monthly rainfall (.72 inches) recorded to date. Sept. began with the temperature in the high 90's. A weather snapback occurred between the. 4th & 6th when a tropical storm (Lee) "trained" along a stationary cold front and dumped 8.15 inches of rain over a three day period. In November, 3 major rain events, the last a 5.92 inch rainfall on the 27-29th, helped set a new monthly rainfall total (12.35") for the 3rd time this year. December rainfall added another 6 inches, making 2011 the wettest recorded year here on our farm.
2010 saw a return to more erratic and sporadic rainfall events. Rainfall days tended to come in clusters that were separated by extremely hot and dry spells, forcing us to rely heavily on irrigation to sustain our grain and legume crops. There were 77 days during the Summer when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees. Although the average monthly rainfall totals during the frost-free growing season appear quite adequate, that is somewhat misleading due to the dry and extremely hot periods we encountered. November was the highest (wettest) while December was the lowest (driest) monthly rainfall totals recorded since we started keeping records in March of 2006.
2009 rainfall often was excessive and we suffered crop losses due to molds, fungus, and plant rust. Especially damaged was early fruit (strawberries & plums). The excessive rainfall in September and October prevented our various bean variety plants from maturing properly. The corn harvest had to be picked early and hung in the barn to dry in order to prevent it from rotting in the field.
2008 saw a return to normal annual rainfall totals, although extremely dry weather in June, August, September, and October significantly reduced our crop yield in spite of using irrigation.
2007 began with an extremely mild March, with temperatures in the mid-eighties for nearly three weeks. By April 1st, all of the trees had prematurely leafed out, including the oaks. On April 6-7 we had a prolonged hard freeze of 27 degrees which lasted approximately for 65 hours due to overcast conditions. Nearly all emerged leaves turned black, then fell from the trees. This calamitous event was then followed by the harshest drought in 117 years of NWS record keeping. That year a new weather term was introduced- "Exceptional Drought," a worse catagory than "Extreme Drought."