I am excited and ready to begin my trip on the Tennessee River tomorrow but I am delaying my launch date for a few days until Tropical Depression Lee passes. As you can easily see by the maps, my launch location is in the center of 6 to 10 inches of rainfall. The storm is moving in a northeasterly direction at only 5 MPH right now so hopefully it will pick up speed and move on out soon. There is also a 50% chance of tornados coming up from the gulf. Tornados and canoes don't play well together.
After the rains leave, I have flash flooding to consider. The Tennessee River has a very large watershed area which could make for big water on the river. A torent river could be dangerous for my little canoe. I will be in communication with TVA, watching webcams and observing advisories for the next few days to monitor the river level and water speeds to reset a launch date. I will leave as soon as I feel it is safe.
The area in yellow is the Tennessee River watershed area. It covers 40,890 square miles. Most of that area is receiving between 6 and 10 inches of rain in the next day or two. Can you imagine how much water will be flash flooding into the river? I can't. Not yet. The farther I paddle down river, the worse the flooding will get. I may not have to paddle at all on this trip. All I have to do is steer. I will need a big brake though.
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