I too have noticed this trend the past few days (weeks?). It's disheartening to hear the thunder in the distance but dies as it approaches.

Maybe it's global warming....

Rebecca

It might be the heat sink that exists in major cities that disrupts the weather system. Or it might just be that rain isn't really anywhere right now. I'd really like to see some good downpours here in Mid TN.

We have the same thing here in Memphis.. the storms seem to go north or south or north AND south of the city for the past few weeks. I'm confident we'll get some tomorrow night.

The last storm we had that it actually got some "liquid sunshine" I collected 160 gallons in my three rain barrels in under an hour. Utilizing Toro Blue Stripe agricultural grade(5/8" x 10Mil) drip tape, I've been able to keep all my grapevines and fig trees happy without resorting to the hose-bib. but I'm almost dry again.

Nashville has a great rain-barrel program and coupled with drip tape, you can really make it work.

0.82" for the month of July.
The 'biggie' was 0.42 on the 13/14th.

Northeast of Knoxville, I've seen storms passing, but they are small, fast moving, and fall apart quickly.

Cursed city thermal mass! Not a drop of rain...
Plenty to the North and South, but not a drop here!

I only have about a 5 days maybes a weeks worth of water left in my barrels before I have to turn on the "house water" again.

Well, having now relocated from Dandridge up on a ridge that had it's own micro-climate where I'd gardened for 13 years into Greeneville, I am amazed that Greeneville has gotten rain, rain, rain........the heatwave we had, everyone had. It acted like it was going to be dry and then it started pouring. We're still needing anything we can get, but apparently the storms come southwards and west and stall for a bit. I live in a rental with a half decent place to grow beans, tomatos, herbs, radishes,burgundy okra, rhubarb, a few cukes, zucchini, and whatever I can shove against the south and west fence in back and on the side of the house where it gets full western exposure (where the herbs are, an already established bed or rosemary, oregano, Lemon verbena and ackkk, spearmint) heirlooms mostly as I found them and am germinating a bit late, Aunt Ruby's Green and Sungold cherry tomato's. As hot as it is I'm hoping the tomato's will catch up. day before yesterday we got not one rain but three that thumped down quite a bit. now I wish I had rain catchers underneath the gutterpipes, but consider myself lucky I was able to bring my cast iron leaf bin that an old neighbor gifted me with before her untimely stroke and relocation to a nursing home. Then add the find of the end of Sam's Club garden discounts........a black composter reduced to $20!! and the neighbor's grass for a middle pile and I'm happily making compost since I had to leave behind 45 cubic feet of finished compost at the former homestead due to a messy but necessairy divorce, foreclosure and eviction.......
tomato's are now thumping along, beans are four foot on the canes I had to purchase as I've not found cane growing nearby to harvest my own yet. bad enough I had to leave those 75 oak tomato sticks Mr. Leonard made me that were eight foot tall that have lasted me 15 years...........checked out that link for the growing zone change and was shocked at the remarkable difference. since the bulk of my gardens are staying at a friend's acreage in Jefferson City and last visit showed me that SHE wasn't getting rain either, I realize most of my containers there are probably fried. I had close to 200 assorted sizes with shrubs, perennials and what not. But apparently Greeneville catches the weather as it slides up north eastwards.

maddie in the green bowl, gardening in the old historical downtown part of Greeneville in zone 7b surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest and Appalachians

IT'S COMING!!!!

According to the weather.com satellite imagery, there is a _-BIG-_ "blob of green, yellow and red" to the West, headed right towards us!

And not a day too soon! Yesterday I used the last of my "available" water in my rain barrels. My spigot is about 10" up from the bottom to prevent sediment from getting into the irrigation system, and to keep my fish (for mosquito control) alive.

How are you folks out west doing for rain?

Since Thursday, I sat and watched at least a dozen cells approach Memphis, and then break up or go around me.

Last hour, I FINALLY got about a 1/4" of that beautiful liquid sunshine, Got my barrels up to about 1/2. They are all interconnected and I'm still waiting for them to "equalize". But, I'm back up to at least 60 (usable) Gallons of fresh water for the garden. Sure would be nice to top them all off and be sitting on 200+ Gal. before the REAL drought kicks in, though.

All week the rain has been skirting north of Knoxville. But, this morning we are getting a nice soaker finally! Here come the weeds!

Rebecca

We sure got it yesterday! 1.4" was really nice.

My Dad said that they got 4" in Goodlettsvile yesterday.

We got it good yesterday. A long soaking rain all day long, it was beautiful. My garden experinced and explosion of growth overnight!

I'll have to mow the lawn tomorrow, for the first time in a month. ;-(

Thank goodness for the rain a few days ago... and hopefully tomorrow.

However, the weather radar today was utterly amazing... torrential storms move across Tennessee... moving east... and almost exactly as it hits the border of Knoxville, it acts as though it is hitting an invisible wall.

If you happen to read this post at the time I am writing it, you can watch it happening on the motion radar.

shucks again!

Yep, I watched it too. We went out to eat and it was 94° at 5:00. When we come out of the restaurant it was 80° with rain looming, but all we got were sprinkles.

We are sure getting a soaker this morning!

In Holston Hills, we had almost 3/4"... lots of long slow rains and occasional downpours... so I'm betting it soaked in pretty good!

Already, we are much better off than last year.

Rain? What's that.

I live in West Knoxville, and I might as well as have my rain barrels on the damn moon. I haven't had a drop of rain since July 5.

The cactuses I brought with me from AZ are doing great. Everything else needs constant watering. Even the coneflowers. It's ridiculous and discouraging.