Drought Information Statement for For East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Southwest North Carolina
Valid April 16, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Morristown, TN
Contact Information: sr-mrx.webmaster@noaa.gov
This product will be updated April 14, 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 conditions continue to worsen. All of the NWS Morristown area is now covered by some drought category.
Areas covered by D2-D3 drought categories up from 29% to 48% since last Drought Monitor issuance.
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U.S. Drought Monitor
Link to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor for For E Tennessee, SW Virginia, and SW North Carolina


Drought intensity and Extent
D4 (Exceptional Drought): None.
D3 (Extreme Drought): Cherokee and Clay counties in NC, and portions of McMinn, Monroe, Polk, Blount, and Sevier counties in TN
D2 (Severe Drought): The Cumberland Plateau, the central and southern Tennessee Valley, the far east Tennessee mountains, and parts of Washington and Russell counties in VA
D1 (Moderate Drought): Remaining areas of East Tennessee and southwest Virginia
D0: (Abnormally Dry): A portion of the central and northern TN valley centered on Hamblen and Grainger counties
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Recent Change in Drought Intensity
Link to the latest 4-week change map for For E Tennessee, SW Virginia, and SW North Carolina
One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. 

Drought Worsened: Southern Cumberland Plateau, portions of the central and northern Tennessee Valley, and also parts of Washington and Russell counties in VA
 
No Change: Most areas.

Drought Improved: None.
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Precipitation
Precipitation was 25-50% of normal for most areas.


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Temperature
Temperatures have been well above normal the past 4 weeks, with most places +8°F above normal.


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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 between 10-30% below normal across the area. 

Fire Hazard Impacts
Tennessee Forestry has reported a notable uptick in fire activity over the last two weeks due to dry and warm conditions. Additionally the outlook for North Carolina is above normal for the rest of April.

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

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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
Rainfall is expected tonight into Friday (4/17/26), and again Saturday night (4/18/26). 
However the total forecast rainfall is below normal amounts for that same timespan.
As such, expect little change to drought conditions, if not a slight worsening.





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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 hazards, including any chances for heavy precipitation, expected in the 8-14 day period.

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Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Slight signal for above normal temperatures in the month of May.
No notable signal with regard to precipitation chances for the month of May.

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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 southeast, including the NWS Morristown area.
Links to the latest:
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook 
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