Dry Creek

While driving by Belle Meade Plantation the other day, I noticed that the creek that runs in front of the mansion is suffering from our drought. Note how dry the creek is.

Yesterday marked the third consecutive day of record-breaking heat in Nashville; the 30th consecutive day where the temperature was over 90 degrees; the 23rd consecutive day where the temperature was over 95 degrees; and the 15th consecutive day where the temperature was over 100 degrees. The monthly average temperature is almost 10 degrees above normal. Coupled with the fact that Nashville has had .05 inch of rain during the month of August, the area is experiencing what the National Weather Service has deemed an "extreme or exceptional drought" situation.

Because of the heat, schools in Nashville were open only half days all last week. Several schools had air conditioning problems, students couldn't go outside for recess, and the heat on the buses was suffocating. Farmers in the area have been selling livestock much earlier than normal because there isn't much grass for the animals to eat or enough water for them to drink. And, because of low water levels in area lakes, rivers and streams, several surrounding communities have put water restrictions on residents.

Last evening, we did have a brief thunderstorm in the area. While it rained hard for about five minutes, it didn't rain enough to help very much. In some areas of Middle Tennessee, the winds were so severe that they did quite a bit of damage. The roof of a hotel south of Nashville blew off when straight-line winds went through the area.