If you want a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.

“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house. All that cold, cold, wet day.” Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

And  the thunder roars… yes, it is another stormy, rainy day (Sunday) in Jefferson County.  Torrential rain…  downpour… cloudburst… deluge… drencher… flood… inundation… monsoon… rainstorm… storm… sprinkle, all words repeated over and over this summer in the East Tennessee hills.  More often than not, the headlines of past summers,  read, “drought” in the same  areas that are now drenched in torrential downpours of rain, creating a monsoon effect inundated with floods, all due to the deluge of rainstorms lingering over the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee.

Wow… that was a mouthful!  But… oh, so true.  It seems rain has been in the forecast most of spring and summer.  While the grass, flora and weeds are luscious with color, allergies abound. The forecast for heavy rain on Thursday, July 4, caused many cities in East Tennessee, including Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, Dandridge and Lake City to postpone Independence Day fireworks and other events. 

But, moist days are not new to East Tennessee or much of the South.  As early as January of this year, rain was already intrenched in our vocabulary.  The National Weather Service warned, heavy rainfall over several days had pushed rivers over their banks from the Deep South to the Southern Appalachians and Ohio Valley.  Several homes were flooded in Pigeon Forge and Walland, Tenn.  Water rose to the foundations of buildings in Waynesville, N.C., all close to home.  Over 120 river gauges were at, or above, flood stage from east Texas and Louisiana to the Ohio Valley to Virginia and North Carolina.  Rainfall totals were quite impressive, with Chattanooga receiving 6.03″ of rain  and Knoxville, 5.94″ of rain, from Jan. 9-15.   Flood watches and warnings abounded with an  additional 1 to 4 inches of rain expected before turning to snow.  Rock slides made the news, along with warning after warning for possible floods.

At the same time, TVA began spilling water through the Fort Loudoun Dam in Lenoir City, opening the floodgates to more than 344 thousand gallons of water per second, to control how much water was going down the river, ensuring the safety of the dams.  Cherokee, Norris, Douglas and Fontana Lakes experienced higher water levels, since the water was being held back to minimize the impacts further  downstream. 

Rarely, do schools close due to floods in Jefferson County, but closings were necessary on several occasions in winter, and spring, as county roads were flooded, making it difficult and hazardous to bus students.  And… the rains… and storms have not stopped, causing monsoon rain falls.  

In my memory, I recall other wet summers.  I remember complaining, just like we are doing now, wanting it to stop in order to play.  But, I also remember the long summer droughts, with grass and foliage dried, crispy and brown.  I think I prefer the rain!  As Dolly Parton said, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”