Winter is always an interesting experience here in Tennessee. Our weather generally is very moderate. The winters tend to be mild while the summers get hot, but not Texas hot. People moving to Tennessee should know a few things about a Tennessee winter.
Before We Moved to Tennessee
My family moved to Tennessee in 1989 just before my 9th grade year of high school. We were in Johnson City, TN in the upper northeast corner of the state. The Tri-Cities of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. Prior to that we had lived in North Carolina and several years in Western Pennsylvania. As an elementary school kid in Pennsylvania I grew up with the snow.
In Pennsylvania we had snow plows that moved the snow into large piles. Then all the kids would be making snow forts and tunnels through the massive mounds of snow. It was a lot of fun and while we did get out of school some the roads were cleared fairly quickly. Pennsylvania is an area that is used to snowfall and prepared for it.It makes sense with the amount of snowfall in that area to have all the plows and trucks needed to keep the roads clear. Otherwise you end up with a lot of car damage, injuries, or lost activity due to time off of work.
Tennessee has a different situation entirely.
The Blizzard of 1993
In March of 1993 while still living in Johnson City we had 2 feet of snow! 24 Inches! That is the most I have ever seen in Tennessee. Middle TN had something much worse. ICE. Middle TN was blanketed in a coat of ice that down trees and powerlines. It was a mess. I have been in TN for over 34 years and haven’t seen a worse snowfall event than in 1993. I’ve seen 6 inches to 10 inches maybe a handful of times in those 34 years. A nice 4 inch snow event is not an unusual thing for us but we usually don’t have more than one of those per year and often it’s less than that. In 2023 we didn’t have any significant snows but only a few dustings.
Why We Don’t Have Snow Equipment
Because of how infrequent major snow events are in Tennessee our transportation departments don’t keep millions of dollars worth of snow equipment sitting around. It just doesn’t make sense. They keep the major roadways clear. Interstates and major highways are cleared first. The roads are salted prior to snow events as well but when it’s as cold as it is today (16 degrees F) that salt doesn’t do a whole lot of good.
What usually happens in a Tennessee Winter is a short period of snowfall and cold temperatures, followed by an almost instant warm up. If snow falls one day and is gone 2 days later why should you spend millions of dollars on road clearing equipment?
What people do instead is stay home. The schools close for a couple days until the roads are decent enough that buses can pick up kids again. People who can work from home do but a lot of business close down for the weather. Local Jeep clubs help emergency workers get to hospitals for work. Neighbors clear the driveways for the elderly and those in need. 4 wheel drive drivers help get other drivers unstuck from situations. Kids go sledding and enjoy the time off! The grocery stores get cleared of milk, bread, and eggs. You have to have French toast on a snow day right?
About Southerners and Driving
Tennessee’s population has exploded over the last couple years as people have realized what an amazing area it is to live in. We have parks, events, music, restaurants, and a really nice 4 season climate. Many of those folks moving here come from places where winters are filled with snow. Places where in winter it is more normal to see white snow than green grass. Then they wonder why here in Tennessee we don’t have the equipment to clear the roads? Something I hear very often is “southerners can’t drive in the snow”, well that may be truish, but we also don’t need winter weather tires on our cars. More often than not our cars are 2 wheel drive and not 4WD or AWD. Many of us in Tennessee would rather stay home during a snow event and enjoy the change of scenery than be out driving in it or potential ending up in a ditch. After all discretion is the better part of valor!
Our Mild Winters
What should you expect in Winter in Tennessee? A mild climate that “may” have snow sometimes. A winter with a chance of extreme cold as low as single digits but then a few days later could be 70 degrees. That is no exaggeration! We’ll see rain, sometimes lots of rain. High winds come along and those 70 degree days change to a 30 degree day less than 24 hours later. Every now and then we have tornadoes to spice things up a little. In Tennessee the expression “if you don’t like the weather just wait a minute” fits the state to a “T”.
Would I change any of that if I could? I would certainly not miss the tornadoes but I will keep the mild winters any day of the week. I love seeing the snow and then I love seeing it go! I like how everything takes a short break when the weather drops a few inches of snow on our heads because I know that it’s a gift.
So if you are looking for a milder 4 season climate Tennessee could be just the place. Our summers get hot and our winters can be unpredictable, but overall we have an amazing area with just enough snow to make life interesting!
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