whats the weather like here? (Memphis, Chattanooga: homes, tornado, earthquake)

[clarissairene]

Just curious... whats the weather like all year round? Is there snow in TN? Are there tornadoe risks? Bad rain? Whats the summers like?

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by clarissairene

Just curious... whats the weather like all year round? Is there snow in TN? Are there tornadoe risks? Bad rain? Whats the summers like?

Since no one else has answered, I'll answer. I learned a fair bit about TN from climate pages, maps, books etc. I have never lived there, but I've been there a few times on vacation.

Yes is the answer to most of your questions.

What's the weather like year-round? Generally nice, I guess. It would probably be better to hear from a TN resident themselves.

There are three main areas of TN; west, middle and east. For annual snowfall, most of the northern half of TN seems to average over 10" a year while places like Chattanooga and Memphis average 5" or less.

It seems generally the further west you go there's an increased risk of tornados. I think east TN rarely sees any tornados.

Everywhere in the South has "bad rain" because any place in TN can get incredible amounts of rain from downgraded hurricanes tracking through. Hurricanes seem to have lost most of their wind, but not much of their rain by the time the get to TN. Most of TN also seems to get a lot of rain in the winter compared to areas east of there like NC, some probably from storms tracking up from the Gulf of Mexico. Places like Chattanooga and Memphis have high amounts of average precip. in January but very little ever seems to be from snow.

Summers in TN seem to get hotter from east to west, with west being the hottest. Places like Bristol TN in extreme northeastern TN in July average 86 F day and 64 F night while Memphis in extreme southwest averages 92 F day and 72 F night.

I hope that helps!

[insanesmooch]

Originally Posted by clarissairene

Just curious... whats the weather like all year round? Is there snow in TN? Are there tornadoe risks? Bad rain? Whats the summers like?

We basically have the four seasons. Yes, there is snow. Mostly to the East and usually not much of it except up in the Smokies. It tends to melt quickly. Tornodoes are more prone to strike the Middle and West sections because it is flatter. East TN has had a few tornadoes, but the mountains protect it more. Even in Middle & West there are not that many tornadoes. It kind of rains in spells. There are times in the summer that we just about have droughts and then there are times we have flash flood warnings. I'd say spring gets the most rain. And we do get rain from huricanes that have downgraded as they cross the land. Summers are mostly hot and dry with pop up showers/storms. Around July and August it hangs in the 80's mostly with some 90's and is usually humid.

[California Leavin']

I have now lived in Middle Tennessee for a full year and I have experienced the array of seasons and weather conditions. I lived my entire life in Southern California and saw little rain, no snow, no seasons to speak of and not a lot of greenery. Here in Middle Tennessee, I have enjoyed the true four seasons. The fall season is absolutely spectacular. It really took my breath away. I couldn't stop gazing at the gorgeous, multi-colored leaves on the trees and the drives through some of the state parks is like nothing I have ever seen. The winter was colder than I am used to and we did see some snow, but nothing too severe. It was just enough to thrill my six year old son and gave him atleast two days of playing in the snow and just enough snow to build a snow man. Out of the five or so snow days we had, only two were a little tricky to drive in. The spring is amazing, with beautiful weather and everything turning green and flowers blooming. Then June hits and with it comes the humidity. I was warned that it was going to be miserable and I might decide to move back to California but it really wasn't that bad. California has heat waves with temps in the 120's so I was used to some serious heat but not the humidity. I really didn't find it too horrible. And it is just now starting to ease up and will soon be gone. The rain storms are the real interesting events to me, as far as weather. They seem to come out of nowhere and it begins with this booming thunder. Then the entire night sky lights up with these amazing bolts of lightening and often times it looks like they are touching the ground before you (and maybe they are). Then comes these pounding sheets of rain like you have never seen. And if you are caught out in it while driving, you have to pull over and wait it out because you can't see in front of you. But the strange thing is that it could last a mere two minutes and be gone or go on for 30 minutes. It is truely fascinating. It scared me to death the first time I was caught out in it in my car but you get used to it. The rain storms happen all year round and they can interfere with outdoor activities but you learn to work around them. All in all, I love the weather here. I could live without the humidity but you can't have everything. As far as the tornadoes go, we did have some tornadoes hit in eastern Tennessee but luckily not too severe. I think eight people lost their lives and many had damage to their homes. But there are years where no tornadoes actually touch ground and do damage. It was a little scary when our area was under Tornado Warning but then again, I come from California where an earthquake can hit at any time and there are NO WARNINGS!!! Atleast with tornadoes, they know they are coming and they can warn residents. Geologists can't ever say when the next BIG EARTHQUAKE is going to hit. I lived through two of them in California. I didn't want to test my luck a third time. Well, hope this helps!!! Good Luck!!

[GrannyLois]

Yes, we have three months for each season, and each season is fairly true to the calendar. That's one of the things I love. In east TN, summer temps rarely get above 94. Winter is fairly mild, but occasional snows or snowstorms. We all still talk about the storm of March, '93 when we had 21 inches of snow in one day - wow - that was amazing. But normally we have about 5 snows from Dec. to Feb. : just enough to keep this transplanted Yankee happy.

[newjerseymiss]

what about the sparta and spencer areas of TN? Is that considered the Eastern area of TN? and what type of climate do they have on year round basis?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by newjerseymiss

what about the sparta and spencer areas of TN? Is that considered the Eastern area of TN? and what type of climate do they have on year round basis?

This web site is more than just a chat room. City-data.com also has information and statistics, including weather statistics, for every town in America.

For Sparta:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Sparta-Tennessee.html

for Spencer:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Spencer-Tennessee.html

[hiknapster]

Sparta and Spencer are considered to be in Middle Tenn. but are very close to East Tenn. The climate is very mild.

[TennesseeGuy76]

I was born in Tennessee and have lived here my entire life. Our state has a humid subtropical climate except in our highest mountains where you can find a humid continental climate. I've spent nearly all of my life in northeast and southeast Tennessee but have driven through and spent time in middle and west Tennessee. If you want to see snow, go to the Great Smoky Mountains. Mount LeConte, one of the highest peaks in Tennessee, received over 5 feet of snow as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Most of the GSMNP is considered a coniferous rain forest. Some peaks such as Mount LeConte can receive nearly 80 inches of rain a year. Elsewhere in Tennessee, besides the mountains in northeast Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau, snow can be rare. During the past 10 years in southeast Tennessee where I live now, we've for the most part have only had 1-3 snow days each winter. Most storms produce only a dusting and is melted away a short time later. West Tennessee receives even less. As far as weather in the summertime, west Tennessee, especially around Memphis, can be some of the most humid weather you'll find in the United States. It's very hot and muggy in Memphis from May until mid-September. The nights average low temps in the mid to upper 70's. I'd stack the heat and humidity level of Memphis up with that of New Orleans and Jackson, Mississippi, anytime during the summer. The summers in west Tennessee are much more brutal than what you'll find in east Tennessee.

[El Passeaux]

If you are from the north, remove January and February and add a second June and July i think would explain it best.