Heat wave

The past week in Norris has been sizzling hot, along with many areas of the country that have been experiencing excessive heat and drought-like conditions. We’ve had heat advisories almost every day for the past four days; temperatures have been in the low 100s, and humidity has hovered around 30% during the hottest time of the day. According to Norris Dam TVA rain gauge data, June has received only 1.9” of rain; typical rainfall is around 4” to 5” in June. (Click here for UT’s Climate Data resource page where you can explore links to weather information.)

hot temperatures and hot peppers from the garden

The heat and lack of rain have had an impact on some of the trees and shrubs that were planted last fall. The dogwood and witch hazel trees, along with the hydrangeas, are exhibiting signs of distress—signs that I didn’t pick up on, but can now see (thank you to Valerie for pointing them out). They’re getting extra water until temperatures reach normal levels again.  

witch hazel and hydrangeas

The meadow that was planted in May is holding up well. Some areas (like the sloped sections in the backyard) were a bit drier before the heat wave started, so I was already watering them. The rest of the meadow plants will be watered every few days for the next couple weeks. 

meadow in backyard (with Emmet chairs courtesy of Room & Board, and fire pit)

The garden soil is dry, but that hasn’t slowed the garden plants down at all. The tomatoes, peppers, and chard are healthy and producing quite a bit. Carrots are big enough to be pulled, there are several eggplants that will be ready soon, and zucchini plants are blossoming. Unfortunately, the cauliflower was overtaken by bugs that ate through all the leaves, so I had to pull those out. I’m guessing that the organically rich soil has made a difference in the garden; without such good soil, perhaps the garden wouldn’t be faring so well during the heat. 

eggplant

zucchini plant in bloom

abundance of tomatoes

The good news is there’s a 30% chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Even if it only rains for a short time, it will bring relief to the dry earth and help replenish the cistern as well.

A week of winter

snow in the backyard

The weather in Norris this winter has felt almost spring-like, with the exception of the past week. Temperature highs have been in the low to high 50s, and the forecast for the coming week is for more of the same—highs in the mid 50s and lows in the 30s and 40s. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, Tennessee’s winter this year is going to be very mild and very wet. 

map available here

But back to the past week. Outside, the temperatures dropped into the 30s for the highs and into the 20s for the lows, and we received about an inch of snow over a two day period. We drove to campus the day after the Norris snowfall, and noticed there was no snow in Knoxville. Norris is about 1085’ in elevation, and Knoxville is about 890’, according to non-scientific measurements taken from Google Earth. While this isn’t a significant difference in elevation, the Norris/Clinton area sits on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau and the weather patterns here are different than those in Knoxville (more information here).

norris is around the 'e' in plateau (original map here)

While it was cold outside over the past week, we had our first chance to experience what it’s like inside the house during much colder temperatures. The house is very airtight, which means no cold air rushing in through gaps in windows—a welcome change from the unsealed windows in the historic building where we lived in downtown Knoxville. The heaters in the living area and swing space keep the living space warm, but we’re not using the bedroom heater. The bedroom is an enclosed area with a standard height ceiling, and stays warm enough that heat isn’t needed even at night. The loft is the warmest area in the house because it benefits from the rising heat; it’s a couple degrees warmer than the main floor.

view from the picture window at the front of the house

The short winter preview has given us an idea of what to expect inside the house when (if?) the temperatures drop again. As for more snow, time will tell if the Almanac is right and we receive more rain in the coming months instead.