The Climate of Tennessee

By | August 27, 2022

According to Abbreviation Finder, the US state of Tennessee (TN) is one of the southeastern states of the US. Appalachian mountain ranges dominate the landscape in the eastern half of Tennessee. The Mississippi River forms the western boundary of the state. Tennessee’s highest point is at 2,025 meters. Most of Tennessee has a warm Mediterranean climate, which is often referred to as a humid subtropical climate for US states. In the Appalachians, due to height differences, it gradually changes into a warm continental climate and a number of areas with a temperate maritime climate. Summers are generally hot and humid, with most of Tennessee experiencing an average maximum temperature of between 30 and 33 degrees Celsius.

Winters are fairly mild, with frost being limited especially during light to moderate night frosts. In the mountains, the mercury can drop significantly lower. Although Tennessee is far enough from the coast to be directly affected by hurricanes, there is a reasonable chance that they will experience slightly less severe tropical storms. For example, Tropical Storm Chris in September 1982 caused a lot of nuisance in Tennessee.

Whirlwinds

One serious threat that Tennessee faces every year is that of whirlwinds. The western part of Tennessee is located in the so-called Tornado Alley, an area in the central part of the United States where more than a thousand tornadoes can occur each year. Although Tennessee registers relatively few vortices per year in absolute numbers (an average of fifteen), Tennessee does suffer a fair amount of damage from this natural phenomenon. That’s because the vortices that occur here are often among the most damaging.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

maximum temperature minimum temperature hours of sunshine per day days of rainfall per month amount of precipitation per month
January 8℃ -3℃ 5 11
February 10℃ -2℃ 5 10
March 16℃ 4℃ 6 12
April 22℃ 8℃ 8 11
May 26℃ 13℃ 9 11
June 30℃ 18℃ 9 9
July 32℃ 20℃ 9 10
August 31℃ 19℃ 8 9
September 28℃ 16℃ 8 8
October 22℃ 9℃ 7 7
November 16℃ 4℃ 5 10
December 10℃ -1℃ 4 11

The climate of Chattanooga

Chattanooga is located in the southeast of the state of Tennessee of the United States of America. The city is located on the border with the neighboring state of Georgia. The city is located southeast of Lake Chickamauga and Lake Nickajack, both of which are part of the Tennessee River. The city is located west of the Appalachian Mountains. In Chattanooga is the Tennessee Aquarium which is one of the largest aquariums in the world. The building alone is worth a visit. In the city is also the Hunter Museum of American Art with a particularly beautiful renovated wing.

Chattanooga has a warm maritime climate that is slightly influenced by the Gold of Mexico. This influence ensures that extremes are less likely to occur in Chattanooga. However, that does not alter the fact that frost or extreme heat does not occur here. The precipitation here is on average above 1000 millimeters per year and is evenly distributed throughout the year. Chattanooga is located on Tornado Alley, so vortices can occur here.

The climate of Jackson

According to Countryaah, Jackson is located in the western part of the state of Tennessee in the United States of America. Jackson is located in Madison County. Jackson is located on the Forked Deer River. The city is named after the 7th President of the United States of America Andrew Jackson. Jackson was the home port of Carl Lee Perkins. This singer and songwriter has written a number of icons of contemporary pop music, such as the song Blue Suede Shoes sung by Elvis Presley.

Jackson has a warm maritime climate characterized by long cool winters and warm but short summers. Long periods of night frost can occur here during the winter months. Precipitation here is evenly distributed throughout the year and can come down as snow or sleet in winter. The city is located on Tornado Alley, an area in the middle east of America where many tornadoes occur. Several of these vortices occur in Tennessee every year .

The climate of Johnson City

Johnson City is located in the northeast of the state of Tennessee, not far from the border with the state of North Caroline and the state of Virginia. Johnson City was founded as a train station in the mid-19th century and has grown over the years into a mid-sized American city. West of the city are the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in the mountain range is the Roan Mountain with 1916 meters. Nolichucky River flows here just outside the city.

Johnson City has a warm maritime climate that is slightly influenced by the warm continental climate from the north. Winters here are cold with long periods of night frost. The summer months here are pleasantly warm and sometimes even hot with temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius. Precipitation here is evenly distributed over the months of the year. During the winter months there can be snow or sleet here.

The climate of Kingsport

Kingsport is located in the northeast of the state of Tennessee, not far from the border with the state of North Caroline and the state of Virginia. Kingsport is located on the Holston River. In Kingsport the popular Greenbelt is a walking and cycling path of approximately 10 miles this path takes you along a winding road along the River Holston. The Warriors Path State Park just outside Kingsport and is one of the most popular parks in Tennessee.

Kingsport has a warm maritime climate which is influenced by the warm continental climate. Due to this influence, the winters here are somewhat colder and the summer nights are somewhat cooler. Precipitation here is evenly distributed throughout the year. The city is located on Tornado Alley, an area in the east of America where many tornadoesto prevent. Several of these whirlwinds occur in Tennessee every year.

The climate of Knoxville

Knoxville is a large city in the eastern part of the state of Tennessee in the United States of America. The city’s appearance is defined by the Sunsphere, a watchtower built especially for the 1982 World Fair. Outside the city is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This large nature reserve is located in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee and is the most visited nature park in the United States with more than 10 million visitors. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Knoxville has a warm Mediterranean climate that is slightly influenced by the warm continental climate. The city is then located in a so-called transition zone. This is especially noticeable during the winter months. These are colder than the more southerly places in Tennessee. Precipitation is evenly distributed over the months. During the winter months, precipitation will often come down as snow or sleet.

The climate of Memphis

Memphis is located in the extreme southwest of the state of Tennessee of the United States of America. Memphis is the largest city in this state. The city is located not far from the Mississippi state and Arkansas state border. Just like Nashville, Memphis is known as the music capital of the world. The city’s biggest tourist attraction is Graceland, the former mansion of Elvis Presley. Elvis is buried in the garden of this estate. Memphis is also home to the Sun studio where legendary pop icons such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, BB King and Elvis Presley recorded many songs. The city has also been the scene of the April 4, 1968 assassination attempt on Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel.
Memphis has a warm maritime climate that is slightly influenced by the Gulf of Mexico. The summer months are pleasantly warm here, although the nights can be on the cool side. During the hottest days of the year, the mercury can reach 30 degrees Celsius and higher here. Winters can be cold here and night frost is certainly no exception during these months. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year and will often come down as snow or sleet in the winter months.

The climate of Nashville

Nashville is the capital of the US state of Tennessee. Nashville is often seen as the capital of country music, the quintessential American folk music that originated in the American countryside at the beginning of the last century. This music style is therefore an important part of the nightlife of Nashville. This is partly due to the fact that domestic and foreign tourists come to Nashville especially for the country music.

Nashville has a warm maritime climate with moderately mild winters that can have occasional cool spells and warm summers where the mercury easily climbs to tropical values ​​of thirty degrees or sometimes well beyond. Nashville has 120 precipitation days per year, which are distributed fairly evenly over the year. The months of August, September and October have slightly fewer days on which precipitation falls. With an average of 2,510 hours of sunshine per year, Nashville is not particularly sunny or gloomy. The winter months are significantly grayer than the middle of summer, in which periods with clouds often alternate with bright clear spells.

Nashville Tennessee