Drought Information Statement for For East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Southwest North Carolina
Valid May 30, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Morristown, TN
Contact Information: sr-mrx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated June 5, 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 improved last week in several places of East Tennessee
Further improvements are likely in many locations with next week’s update
1

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): Portions of the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee Valley, southern mountains, eastern southwest Virginia, and southwest North Carolina
D2 (Severe Drought): Remaining areas of the Cumberland Plateau, southern Valley, northeast Tennessee, and southwest Virginia
D1 (Moderate Drought): Knoxville area and northeast
D0: (Abnormally Dry): None
{{DROUGHT_MONITOR}}

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: None
 
No Change: Most of the area

Drought Improved: Several areas in East Tennessee and far eastern Russell and Washington counties in Virginia
{{DROUGHT_CHANGE_MAP}}

Precipitation
Rainfall has been widespread over the past 30 days

Most places have been near or above normal for rainfall
{{PRECIPITATION}}

Temperature
Temperatures have been well below normal in the last week but still slightly above normal for the last 30 days


{{TEMPERATURE}}

Summary of Impacts
Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
Stream flows are below normal for most areas.

Agricultural Impacts
Soil moisture is variable with some locations still below normal and others above normal

Fire Hazard Impacts
Fire weather concerns have decreased with recent rainfall and change of seasons

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.



Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
Summarize conditions/impacts here

{{HYDROLOGIC}}

Agricultural Impacts
Very dry soil conditions continue across most of the region.
{{AGRICULTURE}}

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.
{{FIRE_WEATHER}}

Seven Day Precipitation Forecast
Additional rainfall is expected through Monday, followed by a return of drier conditions

Most places are expected to get at least 0.5” of rainfall with locally higher amounts expected





{{QPF_7_DAY}}

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


{{OUTLOOK_8_14_DAY}}

Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Slight signal for below normal temperatures in the month of May.

No notable signal with regard to precipitation chances for the month of May.

{{OUTLOOK_MONTHLY}}

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 

{{OUTLOOK_MONTHLY}}

Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Drought conditions are expected to persist across most of the area with some improvements possible along far western areas
Links to the latest:
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook 
{{OUTLOOK_DROUGHT_SEASONAL}}

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 
{{OUTLOOK_DROUGHT_SEASONAL}}