I don't know what it's like outside in your part of the world, but...

[Black Diamond Vol]

It looks like a post-apocalyptic landscape here, with the smoke in the air from all the nearby wildfires.  It's been like this all week, but today is the worst day yet.  

I've seen LA on its smoggiest day, and it wasn't this bad.

[Tnphil]

Hate to hear that.....We could all use a 3 day soaking rain in these parts.

[PirateVOL]

It was like that from Athens to about 30 miles south of Dalton
Thought I was driving through the Cajon pass

[Black Diamond Vol]

It was like that from Athens to about 30 miles south of Dalton
Thought I was driving through the Cajon pass

Did you see any actual fires?  They said the other day that up on White Oak Mountain (the big hill you climb going North just past Ooltewah) the flames were very close to I75.

[PirateVOL]

Did you see any actual fires?  They said the other day that up on White Oak Mountain (the big hill you climb going North just past Ooltewah) the flames were very close to I75.

no real fire - to be honest the smoke was son as probably couldn't see a fire
Coming up Friday saw one at the Dalton exit (big hill NE of the exit

[HerbTarlekVol]

Did you see any actual fires?  They said the other day that up on White Oak Mountain (the big hill you climb going North just past Ooltewah) the flames were very close to I75.

We flew back in to TYS from Austin through Houston on Thursday.  We approached basically up the valley and could see fires. I was sitting looking out to the southeast and could see quite a few, actually.  Can't tell you exactly where they were, but they were burning.   

[RockinGrannyVol]

The N GA fires are horrible -- my daughter-in-laws family home is in Tate City GA and the next in line to be evacuated if necessary.....it's very very scary -- we are extremely smoky at our house today.....the other day I could not see the mountains behind my house due to the smoke.   I can't imagine how bad it is close to these fires when it's that bad here -- and we're 70 +/-miles from the fires!

[HerbTarlekVol]

The N GA fires are horrible -- my daughter-in-laws family home is in Tate City GA and the next in line to be evacuated if necessary.....it's very very scary -- we are extremely smoky at our house today.....the other day I could not see the mountains behind my house due to the smoke.   I can't imagine how bad it is close to these fires when it's that bad here -- and we're 70 +/-miles from the fires!

Those are likely the fires I saw flying in on Thursday.  The approach to TYS on that route would have been along the TN/GA line up the valley. 

[RockinGrannyVol]

Those are likely the fires I saw flying in on Thursday.  The approach to TYS on that route would have been along the TN/GA line up the valley. 

over 17K acres of the Cohutta Wilderness have burned -- and the fire close to my d-I-l's is over 1,200 acres.    And growing every day!  Neither one is over 20% contained at this point.   We need rain badly! 

[HerbTarlekVol]

   We need rain badly! 

Nothing in the forecast over 10% chance until Saturday, and even then it's just 20%.  Best chance is 50%, but not until the Saturday after Thanksgiving.   

[VOLveeta]

This is what is going on in Lake Lure, NC just past Chimney Rock.   
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[Creek Walker]

Nothing in the forecast over 10% chance until Saturday, and even then it's just 20%.  Best chance is 50%, but not until the Saturday after Thanksgiving.   

Even then it isn't likely to be enough rain to make a difference. There are zero storm signals on the board for the next two weeks. Until that storm track dips south, we're going to be stuck in this rut of mostly warm temps and mostly dry conditions. With a La Nina pattern taking hold, it may be weeks -- at least -- before things change substantially.

[BanditVol]

Fires in eastern bammer...have not affected me but on the local news all the time.  Basically the same area as Chatt...NE bammer. 

I did see a bit of smoke last timeIi drove to Knoxville for the bammer game.

[Coupe De VOL]

My parents in Athens were complaining about the smoke yesterday.  They were telling me that there was an active fire up near the Tellico River, IIRC.  We woke up to smoke up here in Carroll County, MD (borders western edge of Baltimore Co).  There was smoke all over the reservoir and low lying areas.  Not sure where it all came from, but it was one of the first cold nights last nite, and could be chimney smoke?  Hard to believe.....

[JeffCountyVolFan]

Heard on the radio this morning that there are some who think this drought may last into April.

That's a scary possibility.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Heard on the radio this morning that there are some who think this drought may last into April.

That's a scary possibility.

They said on the local news tonight that we haven't had a day with an inch or more of rain since last April.

[Tnphil]

We had a lot of rain in the Spring and Summer here in the Western part of the state...One of the wettest August on record. Then the spout turned off. You could count on a half of hand how many cloudy days we've had in the past 2 1/2 months. Leaves on trees here haven't turned like a usual Fall...they've just dried up and fallen off.

[Black Diamond Vol]

It's been a really weird pattern.  The whole state is experiencing drought to some degree, but the worst of it is localized right on top of us.  We keep seeing neighboring towns get rain, and we get nothing.  Just yesterday morning, they said it was pouring in Murphy, NC (right over the state line, 2 counties over from us).  And of course we didn't see a drop.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?TN

[Creek Walker]

Here's what's scary: this is supposed to be the time when we replenish. November and December are the wettest two-month period of the year. In 2007, which was supposed to be the drought that all future droughts would be measured by, we received below-average rainfall in November and December, but we recovered enough that the drought didn't worsen during those months.

Now here we are halfway through November and most of the state hasn't recorded a drop of rain. Most of us will probably make it out of November with less than an inch of rain for the month.

Typically, we have a primary wildfire season after the leaves turn that lasts until wetter weather in late fall and early winter ends the fire threat, then we have a secondary wildfire season in the spring. At this point, if something drastic doesn't happen, there's going to be nothing to interrupt the primary wildfire season. Right now there are 67 active fires across 16,000 acres in Tennessee, and the situation here isn't nearly as bad as it is in northern Georgia and in the Carolinas. Imagine if this continues unchecked for the next several months. This could easily become one of the worst weather disasters that this state has ever experienced if the pattern doesn't change in December or January.

[volsboy]

I will pray for you folks. Don't usually hear of too many fires down there. We usually get them a lot here in S. Dakota. It is dry here as well and could happen anytime. Luckily not too many thunderstorms with lightning this time of year, which is usually what starts them. Hope it gets better soon. Prayers for all you folks.

[RockyMtnVol]

It seems to me that we could be seeing shifts in global climate patterns.

[10EC]

It seems to me that we could be seeing shifts in global climate patterns.

Self-Deleted... I was out of line

[BanditVol]

Yes, b/c droughts are only a recent occurrence since humans have been burning fossil fuels.

Politvol alert!  Politvol alert!   

[HerbTarlekVol]

Self-Deleted... I was out of line

Disagree.  What you said is truth, and the truth is never out of line.