Donate todayMonday, August 17, 2026Good morning! 
All that summer rain finally paid off.
For the first time since last December, the state of Tennessee is almost entirely drought-free. (You may recall we had heavy rainfall earlier in the summer, but that alone wasn’t enough to balance the groundwater, lake and stream levels.)
WPLN’s environmental reporter Caroline Eggers has been keeping a close eye, because it was the driest eight-month stretch on record since the infamous 2007 drought.
So now that we’ve emerged, we can put this whole parched affair behind us, right?
Not so fast.
WHAT TO KNOW
Stress on the ecosystem
Tennessee is generally water-rich, with plenty of rainfall. But the pattern of droughts mixed in has become more pronounced. The state has experienced periods of dryness for the past five years.
In other words, Tennessee is oscillating between extremes, says state climatologist Andrew Joyner.
This makes planning around weather difficult, which makes life harder for farmers, utilities and really anyone who deals with land and water.
Plus, droughts stress wildlife and can contribute to wildfires, like in Georgia and Florida this year. Or when the Mississippi River bottomed out near Memphis in 2023, flooding followed.
This pattern of drought and heavy rains is one way the warming planet disrupts life in the Southeast, which WPLN continues to follow with its environmental reporting.
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How did John Lewis keep the local Civil Rights movement going in Nashville? Before he was a leader on a national scale, John Lewis made sure Nashville’s desegregation activists kept the pressure on Music City. Plus the local news for Aug. 17, 2026.
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MORE TO KNOW
- Tennessee Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, is threatening legal action after Republican leadership sanctioned her for protesting redistricting. In May, when state lawmakers met for a special session to redraw Tennessee’s congressional districts, Oliver stood on her desk, holding a banner that read “No Jim Crow 2.0.” In response, outgoing Senate Speaker Randy McNally stripped her of a committee appointment, refused her per diem payment for legislative work outside of the regular session, and denied her reimbursement for legislative conferences. McNally did not take action against the other Democrats in the Senate who staged a walkout after the measure passed. Lawyers for Oliver argued that the sanctions against her are unconstitutional. A spokesperson for McNally called both her protest and potential legal action “performative.” [WPLN]
- More than two dozen Tennessee projects will share in $1 million in federal funds for historic preservation. Nashville received funding for three efforts: window restoration at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum; an architectural study of North, South and Southeast Nashville; and stained glass window restoration at Lindsley Avenue Church of Christ. Middle Tennessee State University also received nearly $40,000 to prepare a National Register nomination for the Castalian Springs mound site in Sumner County, which is believed to have been constructed by indigenous people around the year 1250. [WPLN]
- Some Tennessee Real ID driver’s licenses are not being accepted when going through TSA airport security. The TSA scanners are failing to read some of the IDs, and it’s unclear what’s causing the malfunction — but it’s causing huge delays and some missed flights. TSA says it’s aware of the problem and working with the Tennessee Department of Safety to nail down the cause. If you have an issue with your idea, you can get a free replacement from a driver’s services center. [The Tennessean]
- The Tennessee Attorney General’s office is investigating East Nashville Athletics, a youth sports league. A complaint alleges leaders failed to account for funds raised during a fund drive two years ago that generated more than $100,000 for specific upgrades at Shelby Park. Although some improvements were made, the complaint says many of the projects do not appear complete. East Nashville Athletics missed an initial deadline to produce records on how the donor funds were spent, but attorneys for the organization say they are fully cooperating with the investigation. [WKRN]
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