Tennessee, 2016

Drought in Tennessee, October 1 to 31, 2016

October 1 to 31, 2016 · NWS OHX · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

A significant lack of rainfall across Middle Tennessee during October 2016, with most areas seeing a rainfall deficit of 2 to 4 inches for the month, led to worsening drought conditions throughout the region. Severe (D2) drought conditions, which were only in place in Grundy County at the beginning of October 2016, spread northwestward into numerous other counties of southern and eastern Middle…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.

A significant lack of rainfall across Middle Tennessee during October 2016, with most areas seeing a rainfall deficit of 2 to 4 inches for the month, led to worsening drought conditions throughout the region. Severe (D2) drought conditions, which were only in place in Grundy County at the beginning of October 2016, spread northwestward into numerous other counties of southern and eastern Middle Tennessee by the end of the month. Extreme (D3) drought conditions even developed across southern portions of Wayne, Lawrence, Giles, Grundy, and Cumberland counties. Effects of these drought conditions led to scattered reports of grass and brush fires in the D3 counties, along with some damage to agriculture.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Cumberland

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.950, -84.998 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grundy

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Grundy forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.388, -85.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wayne

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Wayne forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.240, -87.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lawrence

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lawrence forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.217, -87.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Giles

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Giles forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.202, -87.035 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lewis

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lewis forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.527, -87.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Maury

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Maury forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.617, -87.077 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Marshall

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Marshall forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.469, -86.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bedford

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bedford forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.514, -86.459 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Coffee

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Coffee forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.491, -86.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Warren

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Warren forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.679, -85.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Van Buren

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.696, -85.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, White

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
White forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
35.926, -85.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Fentress

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Fentress forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
36.381, -84.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, October 2016

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 660422, 660423, 660424, 660425, 660426, 660427, 660428, 660429, 660430, 660431, 660432, 660433, 660434, 660435.