Geography of Tennessee

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The U.S. state of Tennessee is geographically diverse, with varying terrains and several distinct physiographic regions. Its landforms range from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern part of the state to flat and fertile plains along the Mississippi River. The state is geographically, legally, culturally, and economically divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee.

Contents

Overview

Map of East Tennessee counties.png
Map of Middle Tennessee counties.png
Map of West Tennessee counties.png
Maps of the Grand Divisions of Tennessee, with East Tennessee at the top, Middle Tennessee in the center, and West Tennessee at the bottom.

Tennessee is in the Southeastern United States. Most of the state is considered part of the Upland South, and the eastern third is part of Appalachia. [1] Tennessee covers roughly 42,143 square miles (109,150 km2), of which 926 square miles (2,400 km2), or 2.2%, is water. It is the 16th smallest state in terms of land area. The state is about 440 miles (710 km) long from east to west and 112 miles (180 km) wide from north to south. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, economically, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. As culturally and historically distinct regions, the Grand Divisions are sometimes called "The Three Tennessees". Tennessee borders eight other states: Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi on the south, and Arkansas and Missouri on the west. It is tied with Missouri as the state bordering the most other states. It is trisected by the Tennessee River, and its geographical center is in Murfreesboro, the state's sixth-largest city. The boundary between Eastern and Central Time passes across the Cumberland Plateau through the state. [2]

Borders

Tennessee's eastern boundary roughly follows the highest crests of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Mississippi River forms its western boundary. [3] Due to flooding of the Mississippi River that has changed its path, the state's western boundary deviates from the river in some places. [4] Neither the northern nor the southern border of Tennessee follows a geographic feature. The northern border was originally defined as the parallel 36°30′ north and the Royal Colonial Boundary of 1665, but due to faulty surveys, the border begins north of this line in the east, and to the west, gradually veers north with multiple minute shifts. [3] Once at the Tennessee River in the western part of the state, the border shifts south onto the actual 36°30′ parallel. [5] An 1818 survey erroneously placed the state's southern border 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the 35th parallel; Georgia legislators continue to dispute this placement, as it prevents Georgia from accessing the Tennessee River. [6]

Topography

Marked by a diversity of landforms and topographies, Tennessee features six principal physiographic provinces, from east to west, which are part of three larger regions: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, and the Cumberland Plateau, part of the Appalachian Mountains; the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin, part of the Interior Low Plateaus of the Interior Plains; and the East Gulf Coastal Plain, part of the Atlantic Plains. [7] [8] Minor regions include the southern tip of the Cumberland Mountains, the Western Tennessee Valley, and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The state's highest point is Clingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet (2,025 m) above sea level. [9] Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail and the third-highest peak in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The state's lowest point, 178 feet (54 m), is on the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line in Memphis. [10] Tennessee is home to the most caves in the United States, with more than 10,000 documented. [11]

Blue Ridge Mountains

View from atop Mount Le Conte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River, at 6,593 feet (2,010 m) Clifftops4-7-07.jpg
View from atop Mount Le Conte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River, at 6,593 feet (2,010 m)

The western Blue Ridge Mountains lie within Tennessee's eastern edge. This range is characterized by towering mountains and jumbled terrains, and is divided into several subranges, namely the Great Smoky Mountains, the Bald Mountains, the Unicoi Mountains, the Unaka Mountains, and the Iron Mountains. The average elevation of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee is 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. The state's border with North Carolina roughly follows the highest peaks of this range, including Clingmans Dome, the state's highest point. The Blue Ridge area was never more than sparsely populated, and today most of it is protected by the Cherokee National Forest, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and several federal wilderness areas and state parks.[ citation needed ]

Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians

Stretching west from the Blue Ridge Mountains for about 55 miles (89 km) are the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also known as the Tennessee Valley [lower-alpha 1] or Great Valley of East Tennessee. This area of Tennessee consists of numerous linear parallel ridges and valleys that trend northeast to southwest, the general direction of the entire Appalachian range. [12] Most of these ridges are low, but some of the higher ones are commonly called mountains. [12] Most of this province is coterminous with the Great Appalachian Valley, where the valleys become broader and the ridges lower. In this region are numerous towns and three of the state's urban areas: Knoxville and Chattanooga, the state's third and fourth-largest cities, respectively; and the Tri-Cities: Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport. Numerous tributaries join to form the Tennessee River in the Ridge and Valley Region.[ citation needed ]

Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains

Fall Creek Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau Fall Creek Falls.jpg
Fall Creek Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in the eastern United States, is located on the Cumberland Plateau

The Cumberland Plateau rises to the west of the Tennessee Valley. This landform is part of the larger Appalachian Plateau, and is mostly covered by flat-topped tablelands. [13] The elevation of the Cumberland Plateau ranges from about 1,500 to 2,500 feet (460 to 760 m) above sea level, with an average elevation of approximately 2,000 feet (610 m). The eastern part of the plateau is, on average, higher than the western part, and most of the water on the Plateau drains to the west into the Cumberland River. The plateau's eastern edge is relatively distinct, but the western escarpment is irregular, with several long, crooked stream valleys separated by rocky cliffs that run into the interior of the plateau and contain numerous waterfalls. [14] The Cumberland Mountains, with peaks above 3,500 feet (1,100 m), comprise the northeastern part of the Appalachian Plateau in Tennessee, and the southeastern part of the Cumberland Plateau is divided by the largely undeviating Sequatchie Valley. [14] The boundary between East and Middle Tennessee straddles the top of the Cumberland Plateau, as does the boundary between Eastern and Central Time.[ citation needed ]

Highland Rim and Nashville Basin

West of the Cumberland Plateau is the Highland Rim, an elevated plain that surrounds the Nashville Basin. [15] Both of these physiographic provinces are part of the Interior Low Plateaus of the larger Interior Plains. The Highland Rim is Tennessee's largest geographic region, and is often divided into the Eastern and Western Highland Rim. [16] The Eastern Highland Rim is characterized by relatively level plains dotted by rolling hills, and averages about 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level. [17] The Western Highland Rim and western parts of the Nashville Basin are covered by a mix of uneven rounded knobs with steep ravines and meandering streams in between. [18] Elevations in the Western Highland Rim range from approximately 900 feet (270 m) along the eastern edge to 700 feet (210 m) at the western escarpment.

Much of the Nashville basin is relatively level, and supports rich, fertile farmland and a great diversity of natural wildlife. [19] [20] It averages about 600 feet (180 m) above sea level, although elevations vary greatly, with some hills reaching higher than the Eastern Highland Rim. Porous limestone bedrock underlies the Nashville Basin and much of the Eastern Highland Rim very close to the surface. These areas form karst, containing many caves, sinkholes, depressions, and underground streams. [17] Nashville is in the northwestern corner of the Basin, and most of its suburbs radiate outward to the south, southeast, and east, owing to its geography. Clarksville, the state's fifth largest city, sits in the northwestern Highland Rim.[ citation needed ]

To the west of the Highland Rim is a narrow region known as the Western Tennessee Valley, which consists of about 10 miles (16 km) in width of hilly land that runs along the banks of the Tennessee River. [21] The Tennessee River forms the boundary between Middle and West Tennessee here. Most geographers do not include this region as a major physiographic province of Tennessee. Some maps place the portion of this region west of the Tennessee River as part of the Gulf Coastal Plain; however this is inaccurate, as it is not part of the drainage basin of the Mississippi River.

Gulf Coastal Plain and Mississippi embayment

West of the Tennessee River is the Gulf Coastal Plain, a broad area that begins at the Gulf of Mexico and extends northward into southern Illinois, gradually losing elevation westward. [22] In Tennessee, this plain consists of two distinct sections. [lower-alpha 2] [23] From the east, the plain begins with low rolling hills and wide stream valleys, known as the West Tennessee Highlands, or Uplands, and gradually levels out to the west. [23] The flat western part of the plain contains extremely fertile soils, and is one of the most productive cotton producing regions in the country. These parts also contain thick and fertile loess, and end at steep bluffs overlooking the Mississippi embayment. This is the westernmost physiographic division of Tennessee, and is part of the larger Mississippi Alluvial Plain. [24] This flat strip, commonly known as the Mississippi Bottoms, ranges from 10 to 14 miles (16 to 23 km) wide, and has an elevation of less than 300 feet (91 m). [25] It consists of lowlands, floodplains, and swamplands, and is sometimes considered part of the Mississippi Delta region. [25] Memphis is in the southwestern corner of the Gulf Coastal Plain, and is West Tennessee's most populous city. All of West Tennessee is part of the Jackson Purchase historical region, and it is the least populated of the state's Grand Divisions.[ citation needed ]

Geology

Geological formations in Tennessee largely correspond with the state's topographic features, and, in general, decrease in age from east to west. Most of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the east were formed during the Precambrian era, and contain the state's oldest rocks, igneous strata that is more than 1 billion years old. [26] [27] Most of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains are composed of Precambrian granite and sedimentary rocks, and Cambrian strata that have been altered by metamorphism. [27] Most of the formations in East and Middle Tennessee consist of strata deposited during the Paleozoic era. Shale and carbonate rocks that formed during the Ordovician period are found in the Nashville Basin, Ridge-and-Valley region, and the Sequatchie Valley. [28] The inner part of the Nashville Basin is a geological dome that was uplifted between 300 and 400 million years ago during the Carboniferous and Devonian periods. [29] Devonian and Silurian strata are found in the Western Tennessee Valley and in small patches in the Western Highland Rim. [30] The Highland Rim formed during the Mississippian era, and is underlain by soluble limestone bedrock that has formed karst, with patches of chert, shale, and sandstone. [31] The Cumberland Plateau was formed during the Pennsylvanian period about 300 million years ago, and consists predominantly of sandstone, silt, and shale, with an abundance of coal. [13] The eastern part of the Gulf Coastal Plain is composed of Mesozoic Cretaceous; [32] most of the plain to the west was deposited during the Cenozoic Tertiary era. [33] The youngest geological formations in Tennessee are sands and silts deposited during the current Quaternary period, and are located within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the valleys of rivers that drain into the Mississippi River. [33]

Reelfoot Lake in northwestern Tennessee was formed by the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes Reelfoot Lake.jpg
Reelfoot Lake in northwestern Tennessee was formed by the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes

Devonian and Silurian strata are found in the Western Tennessee Valley and in small patches in the Western Highland Rim, formed 360 to 420 million years ago. [30] The Highland Rim formed during the Mississippian era about 350 million years ago, and is underlain by soluble limestone bedrock that has formed karst, with patches of chert, shale, and sandstone. [31] and the Cumberland Plateau was formed during the Pennsylvanian period about 300 million years ago. [13] It consists predominantly of sandstone, silt, and shale, with an abundance of coal. [13] The eastern part of the Gulf Coastal Plain is composed of Mesozoic Cretaceous strata that appeared between 66 and 145 million years ago; [32] most of the plain to the west was deposited during the Cenozoic Tertiary era between 2.6 and 66 million years ago. [33] The youngest geological formations in Tennessee are sands and silts deposited during the current Quaternary period in the last 2.6 million years, and are located within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the valleys of rivers that drain into the Mississippi River. [33]

Tennessee is considered seismically active and contains two major seismic zones, although destructive earthquakes rarely occur in the state. [34] [35] The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone spans the entirety of East Tennessee from northwestern Alabama to southwestern Virginia. The region is considered one of the most seismically active zones in the Southeastern United States, and frequently produces low-magnitude earthquakes. [36] The New Madrid Seismic Zone is located in the northwestern part of the state. This seismic zone produced a series of devastating earthquakes between December 1811 and February 1812 that formed Reelfoot Lake near Tiptonville. [37]

Hydrology

The state is drained by three major rivers, the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi. The Tennessee River begins at the juncture of the Holston and French Broad rivers in Knoxville, flows southwest to Chattanooga, and exits into Alabama before reemerging in the western part of the state and flowing north into Kentucky. [38] Major tributaries of the Tennessee River include the Clinch, Little Tennessee, Hiwassee, Sequatchie, Elk, Beech, Buffalo, Duck, and Big Sandy rivers. [38] The Cumberland River flows through the north-central part of the state, emerging in the northeastern Highland Rim, passing through Nashville and the northern part of the Nashville Basin before turning northwest to Clarksville and entering Kentucky west of the Tennessee River. [39] Its principal branches in Tennessee are the Obey, Caney Fork, Stones, Harpeth, and Red rivers. [39] The Mississippi River forms the state's western boundary, where Memphis lies. [40] Its tributaries are the Obion, Forked Deer, Hatchie, Loosahatchie, and Wolf rivers. [40] The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operate many hydroelectric dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers and their tributaries. These dams form many large reservoirs throughout the state. [41]

About half the state's land area is in the Tennessee Valley drainage basin of the Tennessee River. [38] The Cumberland River basin covers the northern half of Middle Tennessee and a small portion of East Tennessee. [39] A small part of north-central Tennessee in Sumner, Macon, and Clay Counties is in the Green River watershed. [42] All three of these basins are tributaries of the Ohio River watershed. Most of West Tennessee is in the Lower Mississippi River watershed. [40] The entirety of the state is in the Mississippi River watershed, except for a small sliver in Bradley and Polk Counties traversed by the Conasauga River, which is part of the Mobile Bay watershed. [43]

Ecology

Cedar glades are an extremely rare type of ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface Cedar-glade-col-tn1.jpg
Cedar glades are an extremely rare type of ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface

Tennessee is within a temperate deciduous forest biome commonly known as the Eastern Deciduous Forest. [44] It has eight ecoregions: the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, Central Appalachian, Southwestern Appalachian, Interior Low Plateaus, Southeastern Plains, Mississippi Valley Loess Plains, and Mississippi Alluvial Plain regions. [45] Due to its wide variety of terrains and ecosystems, Tennessee is the most biodiverse inland state. [46] The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most biodiverse national park, [47] [48] and the state's Duck River is the most biologically diverse waterway in North America. [49] The state is home to 340 species of birds, 325 freshwater fish species, 89 mammals, 77 amphibians, and 61 reptiles. [47]

Forests cover about 52% of the state's land area, with oak–hickory the dominant type. [50] Appalachian oak–pine and cove hardwood forests are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, and bottomland hardwood forests are common throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain. [51] Pine forests are also found throughout the state. [51] Some of the last remaining large American chestnut trees grow in the Nashville Basin. They are being used to help breed blight-resistant trees. [52] Middle Tennessee is home to many unusual and rare ecosystems known as cedar glades, which occur in areas with shallow limestone bedrock that is largely barren of overlying soil and contain many endemic plant species. [53]

Common mammals found throughout Tennessee include white-tailed deer, red and gray foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, wild turkeys, rabbits, and squirrels. Black bears are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the Cumberland Plateau in Eastern Tennessee. Tennessee has the third-highest number of amphibian species, and is especially known for its salamanders, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park dubbed the "Salamander Capital of the World". [54] The state also ranks second in the nation for the diversity of its freshwater fish species. [55]

Climate

A map of Koppen climate types in Tennessee Tennessee Koppen.svg
A map of Köppen climate types in Tennessee

Most of the state has a humid subtropical climate, with the exception of some of the higher elevations in the Appalachians, which are classified as having a mountain temperate or humid continental climate due to cooler temperatures. [56] The Gulf of Mexico is the dominant factor in the climate of Tennessee, with winds from the south being responsible for most of the state's annual precipitation. Generally, the state has hot summers and mild to cool winters with generous precipitation throughout the year, with highest average monthly precipitation generally in the winter and spring months, between December and April. The driest months, on average, are August to October. On average the state receives 50 inches (130 cm) of precipitation annually. Snowfall ranges from 5 inches (13 cm) in West Tennessee to over 80 inches (200 cm) in the highest mountains in East Tennessee. [57] [58]

Summers in the state are generally hot and humid, with most of the state averaging a high of around 90 °F (32 °C) during the summer months. Winters tend to be mild to cool, increasing in coolness at higher elevations. Generally, for areas outside the highest mountains, the average overnight lows are near freezing for most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is 113 °F (45 °C) at Perryville on August 9, 1930, while the lowest recorded temperature is −32 °F (−36 °C) at Mountain City on December 30, 1917. [59]

While the state is far enough from the coast to avoid any direct impact from a hurricane, the location of the state makes it likely to be hit by the remnants of tropical cyclones which weaken over land and can cause significant rainfall. [60] The state averages about fifty days of thunderstorms per year, some of which can be severe with large hail and damaging winds. Tornadoes are possible throughout the state, with West and Middle Tennessee the most vulnerable. Occasionally, strong or violent tornadoes occur, such as the devastating April 2011 tornadoes that killed twenty people in North Georgia and Southeast Tennessee. [61] On average, the state has 15 tornadoes per year. [62] Tornadoes in Tennessee can be severe, and Tennessee leads the nation in the percentage of total tornadoes which have fatalities. [63] Winter storms are an occasional problem, such as the infamous Blizzard of 1993, although ice storms are a more likely occurrence. Fog is a persistent problem in parts of the state, especially in East Tennessee. [64]

Climate data

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Tennessee Cities (F) [65]
CityJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Bristol44/2549/2757/3466/4174/5181/6085/6484/6279/5668/4358/3548/27
Chattanooga50/3154/3363/4072/4779/5686/6590/6989/6882/6272/4861/4052/33
Knoxville47/3052/3361/4071/4878/5785/6588/6987/6881/6271/5060/4150/34
Memphis50/3155/3663/4472/5280/6189/6992/7392/7286/6575/5262/4352/34
Nashville47/2852/3161/3970/4778/5785/6589/7089/6982/6171/4959/4049/32
Climate data for Memphis (Memphis Int'l), 1991−2020 normals, [lower-alpha 3] extremes 1875−present [lower-alpha 4]
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)79
(26)
81
(27)
87
(31)
94
(34)
99
(37)
104
(40)
108
(42)
107
(42)
103
(39)
98
(37)
86
(30)
81
(27)
108
(42)
Mean maximum °F (°C)70.5
(21.4)
73.5
(23.1)
80.2
(26.8)
85.3
(29.6)
90.7
(32.6)
95.9
(35.5)
98.1
(36.7)
98.5
(36.9)
95.3
(35.2)
88.5
(31.4)
79.1
(26.2)
71.4
(21.9)
99.9
(37.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)50.9
(10.5)
55.5
(13.1)
64.2
(17.9)
73.4
(23.0)
81.7
(27.6)
89.4
(31.9)
91.9
(33.3)
91.5
(33.1)
86.0
(30.0)
75.1
(23.9)
62.6
(17.0)
53.4
(11.9)
73.0
(22.8)
Daily mean °F (°C)42.1
(5.6)
46.1
(7.8)
54.2
(12.3)
63.2
(17.3)
72.1
(22.3)
79.9
(26.6)
82.8
(28.2)
82.1
(27.8)
76.0
(24.4)
64.6
(18.1)
52.7
(11.5)
44.8
(7.1)
63.4
(17.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)33.3
(0.7)
36.7
(2.6)
44.3
(6.8)
53.0
(11.7)
62.4
(16.9)
70.4
(21.3)
73.6
(23.1)
72.6
(22.6)
65.9
(18.8)
54.0
(12.2)
42.9
(6.1)
36.2
(2.3)
53.8
(12.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C)16.0
(−8.9)
20.8
(−6.2)
26.3
(−3.2)
37.3
(2.9)
48.4
(9.1)
60.4
(15.8)
67.0
(19.4)
64.8
(18.2)
52.4
(11.3)
38.0
(3.3)
27.3
(−2.6)
21.1
(−6.1)
13.6
(−10.2)
Record low °F (°C)−8
(−22)
−11
(−24)
12
(−11)
27
(−3)
36
(2)
48
(9)
52
(11)
48
(9)
36
(2)
25
(−4)
9
(−13)
−13
(−25)
−13
(−25)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.14
(105)
4.55
(116)
5.74
(146)
5.87
(149)
5.27
(134)
3.99
(101)
4.82
(122)
3.37
(86)
3.03
(77)
3.98
(101)
4.69
(119)
5.49
(139)
54.94
(1,395)
Average snowfall inches (cm)0.9
(2.3)
1.0
(2.5)
0.5
(1.3)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
0.2
(0.51)
2.7
(6.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)10.09.911.59.610.68.99.57.67.17.59.010.2111.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)1.00.80.30.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.20.32.6
Average relative humidity (%)68.266.463.262.566.466.869.169.671.366.267.768.867.2
Average dew point °F (°C)28.6
(−1.9)
31.8
(−0.1)
39.4
(4.1)
48.6
(9.2)
58.3
(14.6)
65.7
(18.7)
70.0
(21.1)
68.5
(20.3)
63.1
(17.3)
50.2
(10.1)
41.0
(5.0)
32.7
(0.4)
49.8
(9.9)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 166.6173.8215.3254.6301.5320.6326.9307.0251.2245.9173.0151.92,888.3
Percent possible sunshine 53575865697474746870565065
Average ultraviolet index 2.43.75.67.58.89.59.78.87.14.83.02.26.0
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity and dew point 1961−1990, sun 1961−1987) [67] [68] [69]
Source 2: UV Index Today (1995 to 2022) [70]
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)78
(26)
85
(29)
89
(32)
91
(33)
96
(36)
109
(43)
107
(42)
106
(41)
105
(41)
99
(37)
88
(31)
79.0
(26.1)
109
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)68.5
(20.3)
73.3
(22.9)
80.1
(26.7)
85.3
(29.6)
89.9
(32.2)
94.7
(34.8)
97.1
(36.2)
96.7
(35.9)
93.4
(34.1)
86.4
(30.2)
78.1
(25.6)
69.6
(20.9)
98.5
(36.9)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)49.1
(9.5)
53.8
(12.1)
62.7
(17.1)
72.6
(22.6)
80.4
(26.9)
87.7
(30.9)
90.9
(32.7)
90.4
(32.4)
84.4
(29.1)
73.5
(23.1)
61.4
(16.3)
52.2
(11.2)
71.6
(22.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)39.6
(4.2)
43.4
(6.3)
51.5
(10.8)
60.8
(16.0)
69.3
(20.7)
77.1
(25.1)
80.7
(27.1)
79.7
(26.5)
73.1
(22.8)
61.7
(16.5)
50.3
(10.2)
42.7
(5.9)
60.8
(16.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)30.1
(−1.1)
33.0
(0.6)
40.2
(4.6)
48.9
(9.4)
58.3
(14.6)
66.4
(19.1)
70.5
(21.4)
69.0
(20.6)
61.8
(16.6)
49.9
(9.9)
39.2
(4.0)
33.3
(0.7)
50.1
(10.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C)11.2
(−11.6)
15.4
(−9.2)
22.7
(−5.2)
32.7
(0.4)
43.1
(6.2)
55.2
(12.9)
62.4
(16.9)
60.2
(15.7)
47.3
(8.5)
33.3
(0.7)
23.5
(−4.7)
17.4
(−8.1)
9.0
(−12.8)
Record low °F (°C)−17.0
(−27.2)
−13
(−25)
2
(−17)
23
(−5)
34
(1)
42.1
(5.6)
51
(11)
45.0
(7.2)
36
(2)
26
(−3)
−1
(−18)
−10
(−23)
−17.0
(−27.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.02
(102)
4.47
(114)
4.52
(115)
4.72
(120)
5.02
(128)
4.36
(111)
4.16
(106)
3.79
(96)
3.80
(97)
3.36
(85)
3.86
(98)
4.43
(113)
50.51
(1,283)
Average snowfall inches (cm)2.0
(5.1)
1.5
(3.8)
0.7
(1.8)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
0.4
(1.0)
4.7
(12)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)1
(2.5)
1
(2.5)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
1
(2.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)10.810.911.611.211.610.710.39.47.88.49.011.4123.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)2.01.90.90.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.20.55.5
Average relative humidity (%)70.468.564.663.269.570.472.873.173.769.470.271.469.8
Average dew point °F (°C)26.4
(−3.1)
29.5
(−1.4)
36.9
(2.7)
45.1
(7.3)
55.9
(13.3)
63.9
(17.7)
68.0
(20.0)
66.9
(19.4)
61.2
(16.2)
48.4
(9.1)
39.4
(4.1)
31.3
(−0.4)
47.7
(8.7)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 139.6145.2191.3231.5261.8277.7279.0262.1226.4216.8148.1130.62,510.1
Percent possible sunshine 45485259606463636162484356
Average ultraviolet index 246791010975326
Source 1: NOAA (snow depth 1991-2023, relative humidity, dew point, and sun 1961−1990) [71] [72] [73]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (UV index) [74] WMO [75]

Notes

  1. Not to be confused with the Tennessee Valley, the drainage basin of the Tennessee River, which covers most of this region
  2. Many maps of the state do not divide this physiographic province into subregions.
  3. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
  4. Official records for Memphis were kept at downtown from January 1875 to December 1939 and at Memphis Int'l since January 1940. [66]
  5. Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
  6. Official records for Nashville were kept at downtown from December 1973 to December 1939, and at Nashville Int'l since January 1940. For more information, see Threadex

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee</span> U.S. state

Tennessee, officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Clarksville. Tennessee's population as of the 2020 United States census is approximately 6.9 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian Mountains</span> Mountain range in eastern North America

The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain. The general definition used is one followed by the United States Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of Canada to describe the respective countries' physiographic regions. The U.S. uses the term Appalachian Highlands and Canada uses the term Appalachian Uplands; the Appalachian Mountains are not synonymous with the Appalachian Plateau, which is one of the provinces of the Appalachian Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Appalachian Valley</span> Major landform in eastern North America

The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough, including a chain of valley lowlands, and the central feature of the Appalachian Mountains system. The trough stretches about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from Quebec in the north to Alabama in the south and has been an important north–south route of travel since prehistoric times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Plateau</span> Plateau in the United States

The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the dissected plateau lands lying west of the main Appalachian Mountains. The terms stem from historical usage rather than geological difference, so there is no strict dividing line between the two. Two major rivers share the names of the plateaus, with the Allegheny River rising in the Allegheny Plateau and the Cumberland River rising in the Cumberland Plateau in Harlan County, Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Plateau</span> Dissected plateau in the eastern United States

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau and the glaciated Allegheny Plateau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Tennessee</span> Geographic and cultural region of Tennessee, United States

Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital and largest city, Nashville, as well as Clarksville, the state's fifth largest city, and Murfreesboro, the state's sixth largest city and largest suburb of Nashville. The Nashville metropolitan area, located entirely within the region, is the most populous metropolitan area in the state, and the Clarksville metropolitan area is the state's sixth most populous. Middle Tennessee is both the largest, in terms of land area, and the most populous of the state's three Grand Divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Tennessee</span> Geographic region of Tennessee

East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely Bledsoe, Cumberland, and Marion. East Tennessee is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountains, although the landforms range from densely forested 6,000-foot (1,800 m) mountains to broad river valleys. The region contains the major cities of Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee's third and fourth largest cities, respectively, and the Tri-Cities, the state's sixth largest population center.

The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee, North Alabama, and Kentucky which surrounds the Central Basin. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surrounding the basin, and the border where the difference in elevation is sharply pronounced is an escarpment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky River (Tennessee)</span> River in Tennessee, United States

The Rocky River is a 31.0-mile-long (49.9 km) stream in the east-central portion of Middle Tennessee in the United States. It is a tributary of the Caney Fork River, and is part of the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi watersheds. The lower portion of the river is part of the reservoir created by Great Falls Dam, which is located near the river's confluence with the Caney Fork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falling Water River</span> River in Tennessee, United States

The Falling Water River is a 46.8-mile-long (75.3 km) stream in the east-central portion of Middle Tennessee in the United States. It rises just west of Monterey at the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, and traverses the Eastern Highland Rim before dropping off to the Nashville Basin and emptying into Center Hill Lake along the Caney Fork. The river is noted for the 136-foot (41 m) Burgess Falls, which it spills over near the end of its course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Alabama</span> Region in Alabama

North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Several geographic definitions for the area exist, with all descriptions including the nine counties of Alabama's Tennessee Valley region. The North Alabama Industrial Development Association also lists Cherokee, Cullman, Franklin, and Winston counties in the region. The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association expands the definition further to include Blount, Etowah, and Marion counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Divisions of Tennessee</span> Three legally-recognized geographic regions in the U.S. state of Tennessee

The Grand Divisions are three geographic regions in the U.S. state of Tennessee, each constituting roughly one-third of the state's land area, that are geographically, culturally, legally, and economically distinct. The Grand Divisions are legally recognized in the state constitution and state law and are represented on the flag of Tennessee by the flag's three prominent stars.

The geology of Tennessee is as diverse as its landscapes. Politically, Tennessee is broken up into three Grand Divisions: East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Physically, Tennessee is also separated into three main types of landforms: river valley plain, highlands and basins, and mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashville metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in Tennessee, United States

The Nashville metropolitan area is a metropolitan statistical area in north-central Tennessee. Its principal city is Nashville, the capital of and largest city in Tennessee. With a population of over 2 million, it is the most populous metropolitan area in Tennessee. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Tennessee in terms of land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Valley Divide</span>

The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries.

The Window Cliffs State Natural Area covers 275 acres (111 ha) in Putnam County, Tennessee, near Cookeville. The Window Cliffs is the name of a prominent group of natural bridges in a narrow 200-foot-tall (61 m) ridge in the neck of a meander of Cane Creek. The day-use area is only accessible by hiking a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) trail. The Window Cliffs was an acclaimed destination in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The area contains several state-listed endangered plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interior Low Plateaus</span>

The Interior Low Plateaus are a physiographic region in eastern United States. It consists of a diverse landscape that extends from north Alabama across central Tennessee and Kentucky into southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Its natural communities are a matrix of temperate forests, woodlands, and prairies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair Gap</span>

Blair Gap, one of the gaps of the Allegheny, is a water gap along the eastern face atop the Allegheny Front escarpment. Like other gaps of the Allegheny, the slopes of Blair Gap were amenable to foot travel, pack mules, and possibly wagons allowing Amerindians, and then, after about 1778–1780 settlers, to travel west into the relatively depopulated Ohio Country decades before the railroads were born and tied the country together with steel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaps of the Allegheny</span>

The gaps of the Allegheny, meaning gaps in the Allegheny Ridge in west-central Pennsylvania, is a series of escarpment eroding water gaps along the saddle between two higher barrier ridge-lines in the eastern face atop the Allegheny Ridge or Allegheny Front escarpment. The front extends south through Western Maryland and forms much of the border between Virginia and West Virginia, in part explaining the difference in cultures between those two post-Civil War states. While not totally impenetrable to daring and energetic travelers on foot, passing the front outside of the water gaps with even sure footed mules was nearly impossible without navigating terrain where climbing was necessary on slopes even burros would find extremely difficult.

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