Help with a few questions Please. (Knoxville, Maryville: insurance, home, to buy)

[hiknapster]

Whoa. Another New England weather geek.

That is actually correct. VERY correct.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand how there would be higher humidity up here, yet be very pleasant here and feel like I hit a wall of water just south of Tampa. It didn't make sense. And I was using the National Weather Service, which wouldn't lie!

Someone from city-data pointed out the dewpoint difference. I'm here to tell you that even a couple of points make an enormous difference.

Originally Posted by Mark-faf

I am responding as a bit of a weather geek and a New Englander considering relocation to ETN. Relative humidity alone is not a good indicator of how uncomfortable a climate might be. For that, you need dewpoint. That actually measures the actual moisture contained in the air and relates it to temperature. Here is a map, for instance, from the US government NOAA, that indicates the average year round dewpoint throughout the Lower 48 states.

Eastern TN is a clearly more comfortable dewpoint average than FL.

http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climaps/temp2113.pdf

Here are some more maps like it to choose from:

NCDC: CLIMAPS -

Hope those answer some climate questions for you!

[NatureLuvr's]

Hmmmm, interesting. Not the weather geek hear so trying to understand the map and the relationship between dew points and humidity. I do grasp that it would seen that the yellow and blue is certainly a more comfortable than the RED I am in. I will have to research dew points and humidity to completely understand how it can affect the comfort index.

[TN Gal now]

here and, personally, (with a few exceptions) I think the summers here are actually hotter and more humid than I remember in FL. The last two summers have been absolutely wonderful though. Somewhere around 1994, or so, Knoxville was 100+ degrees for 5 days in a row - I had a carton of Cokes explode in my car. Many, many days I've seen bank thermometer signs read over 100 degrees.

There seems to be less snow than when I first moved to E TN - nearly 28 years ago. As I recall, in Knoxville we would get at least one or two 6" snows each year and a few dustings (1-2 inches) in-between. I've been around the Knoxville many years - lived in Newport 1982-1985, Pigeon Forge 1985-1986, Knoxville 1986-1998, Pigeon Forge 1998-2007, and now am within 50 mi of Knoxville. There were several ice storms in the early '80s. Of course, the year everyone talks about was in March 1993, when there was 18 - 36+ inches of snow in various areas. Generally, the areas N and E will get more snow - just my opinion/observation.

What is tremendously different about FL vs TN weather is that it is largely unpredictable - meaning the forecasters are hit and miss with predictions. In FL, when they predict rain, you take your umbrella. Here, look outside and make your best guess. Same with snow predictions. There are plenty of long grey days, not too bad unless they happen for a week or more at a time, like they did last year. A day-long grey day usually never happens in FL, not in central FL anyway. The four seasons are wonderful to me and I love living in E TN!

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by LauraC

When I checked weather.com at 6:30A today it was 19 degrees outside in my town. It snowed last Saturday in the early hours of the morning until about 10:00A. By noon, there wasn't any snow on the ground. All last winter, I don't remember a day when it snowed and you couldn't see the grass at all within 2 - 3 hours after the snow fell. Hardly any snow doesn't mean it's not cold or that we don't have ice issues although the winter season seems to be shorter in duration, to me and the summer much longer.

The question about weather, Floridians don't ask is about rain. We get a lot of rain and have many partly cloudy, mostly cloudy and white sky days. If you thrive on blue skies and a lot of sunshine think about it. You might describe our winters as mostly gloomy.

Thank you for the rain and gloomy winter input..........yes as a Fl. native... I would not have thought about alot of rain in the winter. Is that year round too... or just winter time? BTW...even though I was born and raised in Fl. my favorite kind of days are gray & cold... even with rain added. I do love a crystal blue sky with cold too. HATE........... H A T E our heat and humidity. Can't wait to be done with it! Do you get any sunny days in your winters? Asking for my Hubby... not me.

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I see this whole mess turning around next year, for everyone, I hope. But our recovery will be quick. We barely felt its effects.

Knoxville did not have a crazy boom. It never does. It just stays slow and steady. People will continue to move here. It's a beautiful area.

And then there is our secret weapon. It's the thing that was left out of all the other posts, I think. The people.

We have the nicest and friendliest people in the whole world. To watch my inlaws at Kroger's, involved in a huge converstation with two baggers and two cashiers, was absolutely hilarious. My MIL kept looking behind us to see if the guy in line was mad. Nope. That's just the way it is here!

Welcome to Knoxville. May all your dreams come true.

Glad to hear how friendly it is there. My son once asked me ... how do so many people know you? I said, Because I smile, say hi and talk to just about anyone. Sometimes you get the stink eye from complete strangers that aren't used to friendly *shrugging shoulders* their problem not mine. I grinned when you told the about your IL's & their conversation with the baggers... that is me all the way... most of them in Wally World & Publix know me too!

Also very glad to hear that this mess hasn't affected you up there the way it has here in FL. & elsewhere. I have Faith, hope and keep positive. I wasn't in Real Estate when the Boom happened here in Fl. glad I didn't get all caught up in the craziness. If the boom leads to where we are all now............ I never want to go through it. Slow and steady and consistent. Besides I was a starving artist for years........ makes me laugh to hear the Realtors all whining about how bad it is....... yeah........be an artist! I have made this past year almost double what I did 2 years as an artist. Next year...... I feel things simmering below the surface and feel I will do well. It is not about the stuff........ I just want to be able to provide & play with my hubby & kids....... and our puppy kids. BTW... please email me and let me know what RE comp. you are with. I am researching those too. Thanks so much! Enjoy your day! Donna

[PaintedLady]

Originally Posted by Kitties of Domination

OK, this is lowdown on Knoxville weather. Some of the people commenting have only lived here a few years. IT VARIES ALOT, especially winter to winter and during winter. 60 degree days are not uncommon even in the middle of winter, but it can also change very quickly. It was 65 degrees a couple of days ago and it was 19 this morning. Big snows occur about every 5 years these days, and we are actually overdue for one. Winter usually lasts from sometime around Dec 1 to sometime around Feb 20th. Dafffodils come up and trees start budding in late February. The mountains see probably twice the snow that the valley does. The average hi and low for this time of year is 51 and 34. By and large, there will be many times during the winter where you will wonder if you live in Oregon: cool, rainy and misty. Honestly, I kind of like this type weather and much prefer it to a perpetual deep freeze. But...there will be several 5-7 day periods each winter, mainly in January, where it will be very cold. Several mornings as low as 10 degrees is not unusual. But...as JMT said, it only lasts for short periods of time. And there will be some winters that will be overall very mild and not get below the 20's. So, every winter is a surprise unto itself. And honestly, half the year is in the 60's and 70's, so you can't really complain. It was still 60-70 up to almost Thanksgiving and will be that way again in a few months. Summer is about 4 months long but rarely gets above about 92 most years because of our slightly higher elevation. Its often hotter in the midwest than it is in EAST TN.

Thank you for that information!

[Mark-faf]

Originally Posted by NatureLuvr's

Hmmmm, interesting. Not the weather geek hear so trying to understand the map and the relationship between dew points and humidity. I do grasp that it would seen that the yellow and blue is certainly a more comfortable than the RED I am in. I will have to research dew points and humidity to completely understand how it can affect the comfort index.

OK NatureLuvr this map may be easier to read and more to the point. Any dewpoint over 70 is VERY humid. Around 65-70 is pretty humid but bearable. Below 65 it gets more comfy, like open window instead of A/C. As hiknapster said, a difference of a degree or two in dewpoint is significant, much more so than temperature.

http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climaps/temp2107.pdf

Keep in mind that elevation makes a big difference. The higher up you are, the lower the dewpoint. A/C season would be shorter further north and higher in elevation, such as in the TN Tri-Cities.

[DubbleT]

History : Weather Underground


Hopefully I've linked this properly. If so it should give you a nice, easy to read calendar of Knoxville weather, including cloud cover. You can review the history by month, and go back several years. Very handy tool IMO, I used it quite a bit when researching my move. Thought you or hubby might find it interesting.

[hiknapster]

SwFlorida was a heck of a lot hotter than Knoxville. I lived in Orlando for awhile, too, and even that was hotter, which makes sense because even that area is subtropical. Knoxville is not.

You are going to love Knoxville and you will fit right in, PaintedLady. Make sure to set aside extra time for your errands because you are going to be shocked when the folks in the store talk right back to you. Other shoppers will walk right up to you and start talking. It's great.

I left Florida during the housing boom. October 2005. I could see what was going to happen and wanted no part of it. I also did not like to see what many of the residents were turning into. They suddenly thought they were rich and were practically dancing in the streets. I'm glad to be out of there.

I have said many, many times that if Knoxville ever turned into something remotely resembling that, I would move. But it won't, for numerous reasons.

[NatureLuvr's]

Touching on a subject I mentioned in an earlier post, as we are interested in moving to the Knoxville area. How is the air pollution due to the city and it's close proximity to the mountains for that bottling effect (smog, haze etc.) And as for wood burning fireplaces inside homes, are there any bans or restrictions on the use of them due to smoke pollution?

Also it is hard to tell from maps and from a distance, but how close is Knoxville to the major (or for that matter minor) parks in the Great Smokey Mountains?