Knoxville rain: from a to z, from 1871 to today

First things first...
Spotty rain on Monday is possible.  No big deal.
However, we got some moderate to heavy rain coming in THIS EVENING and lasting until Tuesday morning.  A Valley start time of 7 PM to 9 PM Monday seems reasonable to me, as it comes in from West to East.  It will be very easy to track using the Captain Accurate Weather App.  (Psst!  It's FREE at the App Store & Google Play.  Just search:  Captain Accurate)  The start time for the Plateau and Southeast Kentucky will occur much sooner...the Smokies, a little bit later.

Future Rainfall for Monday into Tuesday
Model A...1.09"
Model B...0.83"
Model C...0.81"

Average of the 3 Models:  0.91" 


Just so you know...
At the end of last year, it was announced by the National Weather Service in Morristown that 2018 was the 8th Wettest year on record for Knoxville, dating back to 1871, when records for Knoxville began.
The next day or so, TVA made the bold announcement that 2018 was, in fact, the Wettest year ever for much of East Tennessee (and they were including in that assessment the soggy year for Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina as part of their summary).  For headline seekers, I'll let you guess which one was circulated the most.  You guessed it:  "Wettest Year Ever."  But if you look, like I do, a little closer at the numbers, you would quickly realize that TVA did not begin until May 13th, 1933.
At the time, FOUR of the TOP 8 Wettest Years were in the 1880s, which would have been outside the purview of the TVA.  Thus, both headlines were correct.  But it may have been more honest to circulate and say, 2018 was the Wettest year ever since 1933, according to TVA records.
You see, the National Weather Service in Morristown has 147 years of Knoxville records.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), founded by FDR and George W. Norris, has 85 years of records (since 1933).
Hard to compare apples with oranges sometimes, don't you think?

Average Yearly Rainfall for Knoxville:  47.86"
(1981-2010)

Highest rainfall total in one day:  6.14"...July 16, 1917
Highest rainfall total in one month:  17.62"...April 1874


TOP 10 WETTEST YEARS on Record for Knoxville

1).  73.77"...1875
2).  69.35"...2013 
3).  66.36"...1882
4).  63.27"...1994
5).  62.53"...1884
6).  61.98"...2019    <----Now
7).  61.49"...1957
8).  61.45"...1886
9).  61.37"...2018
10). 60.66"...2009


Credit:  NWS-Morristown


Of course, looking back at this year, February 2019 certainly TIPPED THE SCALES with over 13 inches of rain, SOGGIEST February on record, during the shortest month of the year.

In September 2019, the weather pendulum swung the other way with drought-like conditions and Knoxville only received 0.03" of rain...giving us the DRIEST September on record.

It's kinda like going to the beach.  February was HIGH tide, September was LOW tide.  Sometimes that's how Nature works.

Knoxville's Rain (and Melted Snow) in 2019
@ McGhee Tyson Airport

Jan.  4.98"
Feb. 13.08"
Mar.  4.05"
Apr.  4.39"
May  5.70"
Jun.  7.02"
Jul.  5.88"
Aug.  3.13"
Sep.  0.03"
Oct.  4.96"
Nov.  6.11"
Dec. 1st-15th  2.65"  so far...

TOTAL:  61.98" SO FAR...

#CaptAccurateWx

From NWS-Morristown