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Personally I feel like Dallas has the worst weather of the Texas metros. It is 100% as hot in the summer as Houston or Austin / San Antonio, but it is consistently colder in the winter. (Not a huge difference, but still.)
It's the overall case of Dallas having high weather variability relative to the other large Texas metros. Many times in early/late winter, you'll see cold fronts that sweep past Dallas, but stop before reaching Houston, Austin/San Antonio - that's when Dallas can have daytime temperatures down to the 30s/40s, while the other Texas metros are warmer. That variability then manifests as much greater hail/powerful tornado threats during spring/fall.
East Tennessee is not as tornado prone as Middle and West Tennessee, especially regarding stronger to violent ones. I wouldn't even take that into consideration as a climate pro/con.
What about southwest TX? It starts to be desert near El paso so is that considered?
West/Southwest TX is semi-arid as opposed to humid subtropical that the rest of the state, with duststorms and wildfires more of a hazard than severe thunderstorm/tornado threats.
Finally, you've got the northern panhandle of TX, which is a cross between a humid subtropical, humid continental, and semi-arid climate, and this features to most frequent changes in weather. It's pretty similar to OK's climate, but slightly drier and windier. Snow is usually expected a few times each winter, while its positioned to get both tornado/hail as well as wildfire threats. Many subtropical plants that you can grown downstate like many palms or Live Oak won't grow in the northern panhandle, due to the usually brief but intense cold snaps that happen most winters. But the level of cold is usually about on par with East TN and nothing like you can get further north.
I can't see winter weather differences between Knoxville and DFW being a deal breaker, and I am NOT a winter fan at all. If you were coming from the Rio Grande Valley or something, then, yes, Knoxville winters would be a big departure. And the better summers in Knoxville would offset the somewhat chillier winters.
I think DFW versus Knoxville comes down to the big city amenities you expect, economy (do you need to be able to easily find another job in your field), and what you like to do in your free time. I'm very affected by local scenery, and Knoxville easily wins that battle. Being so close to the Smoky Mountains would be a huge factor to me and probably the chief selling point for Knoxville.
Texas is incredibly hot. Tennessee seems to have more seasons.
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