Drought Information Statement for For East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Southwest North Carolina
Valid May 21, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Morristown, TN
Contact Information: sr-mrx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated May 29, 2026 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. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
Drought has generally worsened in our area before rainfall has recently returned
All of the NWS Morristown area remains covered by some drought category with over 40% now covered in D3 / Extreme Drought
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U.S. Drought Monitor
Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for For East Tennessee, SW Virginia, and SW North Carolina


Drought intensity and Extent
D4 (Exceptional Drought): None.
D3 (Extreme Drought): Most of southeast Tennessee, Cumberland Plateau, and far eastern portions of the Tennessee mountains and southwest Virginia
D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of East Tennessee and most of southwest Virginia
D1 (Moderate Drought): Remaining areas of East Tennessee 
D0: (Abnormally Dry): None
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Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Link to the latest 4-week change map for For East Tennessee, SW Virginia, and SW North Carolina
One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. 

Drought Worsened: Most of the northern Plateau and portions of the East Tennessee mountains and southwest Virginia
 
No Change: All remaining areas

Drought Improved: None
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Precipitation
Rainfall has picked up during the last month but remained below normal

Most places were generally around or less than 75% of normal for the last 30 days
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Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
Stream flows are extremely below normal for the entire area.

Agricultural Impacts
Soil moisture is below the 5th percentile for most of the area 

Fire Hazard Impacts
As we move through the late spring into early summer, fire weather concerns continue to decrease

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 any local burning bans and regulations.


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Agricultural Impacts
Very dry soil conditions continue across most of the region.
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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.
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Seven Day Precipitation Forecast
A wet pattern has returned and will remain in place for at least the next week.

Most places are expected to get at least 2” to 3” of rainfall with locally higher amounts possible


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Rapid Onset Drought Outlook
Links to the latest Climate Prediction Center 8 to 14 day Temperature Outlook and Precipitation Outlook.
No strong signal for hazards in our region

A Slight Risk for Heavy Precipitation has been outlined for May 28 - May 30:

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Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Above normal temperatures are favored with 40% - 50% probability

For rainfall, generally equal chances are anticipated with no strong signal 

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Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Drought conditions are expected to persist across the entire area 
Links to the latest:
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook 
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