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I can only agree with all of Igor's observations. As another former Californian, one of the very first things we noticed, on our initial exploratory visit, was the kindness and generosity of the people of east TN. After 8 years it continues to amaze me every day.
Moving from the dry west, people tell you humidity will be unsufferable. I have yet to experience it, so I don't have anything to say about that yet.
April weather was a dream. Just cool/moderate temperatures.
May weather was fabulous with only a couple of days that felt too warm, but mostly heaven.
Pollen was the biggest problem with May. I don't suffer allergies and pollen does not bother me by and large. There was a week in May when outdoor surfaces were densely coated with fine greenish-yellow pollen. 3 or 4 times, I imbibed so much fine, airborn pollen that I choked a bit and had a longish coughing spell trying to get my lungs to push that residual mess out of my windpipes. Or so it felt.
Other than pollen, the Knoxville weather in May was simply fabulous for lunch at a park, walks, being outdoors. The nights were not too cold to be out and about but I did often wear a light jacket or sweatshirt on a 9 pm walk through pretty neighborhoods.
There were 3 or maybe 4 thunderstorms in May. They all lasted less than a handful of thunderclaps, and were gone as soon as they started.
June weather was very nice. Most days, temps were in the low to mid-80s. We broke 90 degrees once. I have not yet experienced a hot, stifling day. Many of the days in the range of 88-90 degrees were very nice and pleasant. I don't know if we get a breeze off the Tennesse river (I am a mile away) that moderates comfort, or if it was just the dew point was sufficiently low. All I know is, June was wonderful weather and it didn't dissuade me from going outside at all.
As said, I have yet to suffer heat in Knoxville. I am told July will be searing hot, so a month from now I will report on how July weather stacks up.
June featured a handful of thunderstorms and some brief episodes of biblical downpours, with brief resulting minor street flooding. I was awakened 4-5 am twice by thunderstorms like cannon fire, that lasted over a half hour each. One storm hit around 8 pm and lasted at least an hour. I love thunderstorms. Much fun.
Last edited by Igor Blevin; 06-28-2021 at 08:54 AM..
Humidity - my initial impressions, mid-April to end of June.
I have yet to feel a stifling, hot miserable day. I have felt the effects of humidity.
First, I feel the dampness on clothing and skin. I am not used to it yet and it feels "funny". I don't know if it feels "bad", but it doesn't feel good to feel damp. I have no clue if I will get use to it or just tolerate it.
I feel like humidity makes temperatures feel more extreme, not more warm. Warm days feel warmer and cold days feel colder with the damp.
On the days that were in the late 80s to 90 degrees, the humidity felt damp but not hot. I didn't suffer. It was a weird feeling, but not particularly hot. In Sacramento, I drove in the car with AC or windows down to make a breeze. In Knoxville, I am doing the same. So I don't know if I am noticing a difference or not in warm weather.
A big difference I have noticed is that cool weather feels much warmer in Knoxville than Sacramento.
I love feeling cool. Feeling cooler than a neutral feeling. Just a slight cool. In Sacramento, at temps 65-75, I loved the cool feeling. In Knoxville, I actually feel warm at 65-75 degrees. Not hot per se, but it feels stuffy warm to me and often I would run the AC in the car. I never would use AC in the car at 65-75 degrees in Sacramento.
That makes it sound like humidity makes everything warmer. But wait.
I said I like it on the cool side. I used to keep my indoor temps at home at around 66-68 degrees in Sacramento. In Knoxville, my indoor temps are around 72 degrees. My hygrometer says the indoor humidity runs 48% to 52%. I tried the thermostat at 66-68 degrees and I was cold. So I am currently running the AC less indoors in Knoxville than I was indoors in Sacramento, even at night.
That is why I said, I think the effect of humidity is toward extreme, not just warming. It makes sense. In the heat, humidity prevents cooling sweat evaporation, but in the cold, surface moisture is going to drain heat from your skin. A dry climate insulates your skin while humidity exacerbates the heat or cold.
It will be very interesting how July stacks up. I have been warned it will be miserable. I take that warning to heart, so we will see how miserable it will be.
Last note.
The outsides of windows are often coated with moisture to the point it obscures the view. I have had moisture still coating my windows 8 hours after a rain storm. I have woken up to clear skies but the windows are covered in a film of moisture. It is just common for the dew point to be at ambient temperature, and you get moisture on everything. The air just has a LOT of water in it here. This is just outside. Indoors with 50% humidity and using the AC regularly, it doesn't happen.
Some people probably don't run AC and leave windows open. I don't know what the impact of that would be. I did that in spring and fall in Sacramento but I haven't really done that much here.
Last edited by Igor Blevin; 06-28-2021 at 09:29 AM..
There is a nice assortment of small birds everywhere around my place because Tennessee is so wooded. I am in a very wooded suburb near the river where homes are generally on spacious lots. Not a big urban footprint of roads and roofs around me. The shopping center/retail row are a good mile away.
I haven't been able to use my balcony much due to barn Swallows nesting above it. Cute little birds. When I am out there, I disturb them, so I don't get to use my balcony right now as much as I would like.
Just another difference from Sacramento where it was mostly crows and seagulls and blackbirds. Blue Jays and such are everywhere, but it is nice to see and hear the assortment of pretty little birds around here in West Knoxville.
We have a clump of trees near our deck and we have a bird bath under them. We also have a bird feeder and we get cardinals, eastern bluebirds, blue jays, woodpeckers, rufous-sided towhees, chickadees, goldfinches, doves, hummingbirds, and more. I've spotted bald eagles, herons, cranes, egrets, kestrels, red-tail hawks, indigo buntings, black vultures, turkey vultures, crows, osprey, and more in our neighborhood and near the lake. We can hear, but not see, the great horned owls, and the chuck-will's-widows at night from our yard. It's a birders' paradise.
You are welcome. I am hoping to help others considering moving to Knoxville. I have been here 2 months and haven't been able to add much to this thread in that time. Mostly, I have been taking forever to set up my new apartment, so have very limited time to experience my new city.
It takes time -- months to years -- to accumulate enough widespread experience to help paint a picture of living in a city. I expect this thread to be a years-long project. Not something I can do in a summer.
I am down for the ride and reading about your adventures and experiences. If we do end up making a move in the future, it is still going to be some time off, so for now, seeing posts and updates like this are very helpful! Much appreciated!
Hi Igor, thanks for making this informational thread. It seems as if a lot of what I'm looking for in an area to live/lay down roots is similar to what you're looking for (as you reported in this thread).
I was born/raised in Southern California and there's decent humidity there. I know your from Sacramento, but would you say that the humidity where you live is comparable to Southern California?
Also, how was July weather and how is August so far? Does it cool down at night enough to open a window? Do you know if the temps start to cool in early September or does Knoxville get another 30-60 days of quasi-hot weather?
Is there a tick problem in the summertime? My ex gf had lyme disease and she said it was the worst thing she's ever experienced. I do not want to go through that.
I'm currently in miserable 105 degree dry heat in Vegas. I hate it that I cannot open a window past 9am without my apartment turning into an oven. I like cool breezes as well.
Knoxville is more humid more often than Los Angeles. LA can get pretty humid, but Knoxville is generally moreso with higher dew points.
Knoxville during July felt more comfortable overall to me than most July days I experienced in my 40 years in Sacramento. I really haven't felt that "blast furnace" hot yet here in Knoxville. Temperatures are lower here and it feels downright nice in the shade. I thought July was pleasant.
My sure gets damp most days and I can feel skin moisture, but maybe it just doesn't bother me that much. It is not desireable, but not uncomfortable to me either far. Perhaps I am not very sensitive to humidity or something else is going on. Someone on the forum said that humidity has been below average this June, so maybe that is it.
I can only say this. So far, I have not experienced a day in July/August in Knoxville that felt as oppressively hot as the hottest days in July/August Sacramento.
That said, 3 days ago it felt really hot and sticky here. It was one of those days when my shirt really felt damp and my palms felt kind of clammy. I kept wiping my hands on my pants to remove the moisture, but to no effect. Was it brutal? No, just uncomfortable. So 1 bad day so far, and not really that bad.
I can't speak to LA since I never lived there, but it doesn't cool down at night in Knoxville as much as it did in Sacramento, by several degrees. Humidity stays high at night too, so you are going to be bringing that into the house whenever you leave your windows open, day or night. After a rain it is really humid, and it has rained at least once a week in July/August.
I can't speak to ticks so maybe somebody else has that answer. Lyme Disease sucks. I have never had it but known people who did and it really wiped out their energy and drive.
I am too new to answer your question about September weather. I have to live through one first. I know Sacramento stayed well over 100 degrees usually through half of September. At this point, I need to get through a full August, a full September, and a genuine heat wave to have any true appreciation for Knoxville weather discomfort.
I know the heat index is higher here in Knoxville temp for temp, but I thought all of July was pleasant and just the 1 hot day so far in August. You may be more sensitive to humidity than I am or maybe humidity is below average in Knoxville so far this summer. I don't know. I don't miss 108-degree Sacramento summers at all so far. Put it this way, weather discomfort hasn't stopped me from doing a single thing in Knoxville this summer. I found Sacramento summers to be worse. Vegas is brutal, dry air or not.
I do however use AC in my car at lower temps like 75-80 degrees, when I never did that in the dryer air of Sacramento.
Knoxville is more humid more often than Los Angeles. LA can get pretty humid, but Knoxville is generally moreso with higher dew points.
Knoxville during July felt more comfortable overall to me than most July days I experienced in my 40 years in Sacramento. I really haven't felt that "blast furnace" hot yet here in Knoxville. Temperatures are lower here and it feels downright nice in the shade. I thought July was pleasant.
My sure gets damp most days and I can feel skin moisture, but maybe it just doesn't bother me that much. It is not desireable, but not uncomfortable to me either far. Perhaps I am not very sensitive to humidity or something else is going on. Someone on the forum said that humidity has been below average this June, so maybe that is it.
I can only say this. So far, I have not experienced a day in July/August in Knoxville that felt as oppressively hot as the hottest days in July/August Sacramento.
That said, 3 days ago it felt really hot and sticky here. It was one of those days when my shirt really felt damp and my palms felt kind of clammy. I kept wiping my hands on my pants to remove the moisture, but to no effect. Was it brutal? No, just uncomfortable. So 1 bad day so far, and not really that bad.
I can't speak to LA since I never lived there, but it doesn't cool down at night in Knoxville as much as it did in Sacramento, by several degrees. Humidity stays high at night too, so you are going to be bringing that into the house whenever you leave your windows open, day or night. After a rain it is really humid, and it has rained at least once a week in July/August.
I can't speak to ticks so maybe somebody else has that answer. Lyme Disease sucks. I have never had it but known people who did and it really wiped out their energy and drive.
I am too new to answer your question about September weather. I have to live through one first. I know Sacramento stayed well over 100 degrees usually through half of September. At this point, I need to get through a full August, a full September, and a genuine heat wave to have any true appreciation for Knoxville weather discomfort.
I know the heat index is higher here in Knoxville temp for temp, but I thought all of July was pleasant and just the 1 hot day so far in August. You may be more sensitive to humidity than I am or maybe humidity is below average in Knoxville so far this summer. I don't know. I don't miss 108-degree Sacramento summers at all so far. Put it this way, weather discomfort hasn't stopped me from doing a single thing in Knoxville this summer. I found Sacramento summers to be worse. Vegas is brutal, dry air or not.
I do however use AC in my car at lower temps like 75-80 degrees, when I never did that in the dryer air of Sacramento.
Thanks! Is it safe to assume that you're in your 40s? I'm almost there....are you finding lots of stuff to do to keep you entertained? I'm into hiking and fishing and hunting. I wonder how the early 30s dating scene is in that area?
Does the general area feel more like a small city or a big city?
I have been in Knoxville for 4 months and have spent a lot of that time unpacking and setting up the new apartment and doing small things locally, like finding parks and walks, so I haven't really communed with nature or explored very much yet. That is still in my future.
I have been frustrated finding good walks.
I haven't found walking trails along the river so I don't know if they are there and undiscovered or if the trees are just left wild to grow and there aren't many trails to walk along the river. Many of the subdivisions I have found are small pockets served by one or 2 entrances on the same street, so you can't actually walk from one subdivision to the next. I have found some walks downtown or near the University of Tennessee but I live 10 miles southwest and it is too much hassle to go downtown frequently just for a nice walk.
I am too old for serious hiking. I hear it is better around Chattanooga but I uinderstand it is good here. There is a lot of wild hikable area between here and Oak Ridge, Cookeville, Maryville (prounouced mare-vul). The Great Smoky Mountain NP is 1 hour away and FREE, so you can go frequently without paying for anything but gas. Start at Cades Cove.
Can't speak to fishing and hunting. Maybe someone else will cime in.
Anywhere near the University of Tennessee would probably be a target rich environment for dating, even for early 30s.
Knoxville is weird. From my California perspective, it is hard to pinpoint Knoxville as a big, medium, or small city. Downtown is of course very urban. I have stumbled across some very commercial or rundown areas. The core is nice with Market Square and Gay Street, but I am looking for more urban shopping and entertainment. I haven't looked too hard yet.
Knoxville is spread out there are subdivisions everywhere hidden among the hills and trees. You don't see them but they are there. Once I started patrolling around Knoxville, I found that there is a lot of development everywhere but it is just not obvious from a quick or casual look or from zooming in on Google Earth. There are a lot of homes and subdivisions all around Knoxville. I haven't visited east Knoxville so I have no clue in that direction, but north, south, and west has a lot. It is a medium size city jus spread out with a dense downtown.
There is no way it feels like a small city. Not even close. It is no metropolis either.
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