(C) Tennessee Lookout
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Tennessee summers are getting hotter, and some towns are more vulnerable to adverse health effects • Tennessee Lookout [1]
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Date: 2025-07
Tennesseans feeling a little extra heated about the weather this year are onto something: summers in the state are up to 3 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average than they were in 1970, according to a temperature data analysis by nonprofit Climate Central.
Researchers at Climate Central calculated average temperatures for summer — June, July, and August — from 1970 through 2024 using data collected and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The organization found that every Tennessee county’s average summer temperature was hotter in 2024 than in 1970. Obion County showed the least change at 0.7 degrees warmer. Macon and Montgomery counties were about 2.7 degrees warmer in 2024 than in 1970.
The rise in extreme summer heat is a nationwide issue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hotter weather is linked to increases in heat-related illnesses. The CDC’s Heat and Health Index shows communities in West and Northeast Tennessee are among the most likely in the nation to experience negative impacts of heat on their health.
This summer has started off more sweltering than usual with average highs in June surpassing normal average high temperatures in some parts of Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.
NWS Nashville reported both high and low temperatures above normal in Nashville, Clarksville and Crossville in June. Clarksville’s average low temperature was 69 degrees, four degrees hotter than normal. Nashville’s average high temperature of 89.4 degrees was 1.7 degrees over normal.
Nashville saw 14 days above 90 degrees in June, according to NWS Nashville.
Memphis’ monthly high for June came in at 95 degrees, 6 degrees warmer than the normal high temperature, according to NWS Memphis. But the area’s monthly low temperature of 61 degrees fell below the normal 69-degree low.
In East Tennessee, this June was Knoxville’s warmest since 2016, according to NWS Morristown, totaling 10 days with temperatures of 90 degrees or higher (three more than usual).
Who is most vulnerable to higher heat?
The CDC Heat and Health Index analyzes historical temperature, heat-related illness and data on factors that heighten exposure to heat or hinder people’s ability to cope, including the prevalence of pre-existing health conditions, demographics and environmental characteristics.
In Ripley, for example, residents of the 38063 ZIP code are likely more vulnerable to the impacts of heat than about 93% of the nation.
In Northwest Tennessee, Rogersville residents are likely more vulnerable to heat than 94.1% of the nation. Sociodemographic factors including poverty, disability status, being older than 65 and lacking health insurance contribute to the area’s higher risk. The town also ranks higher than 85.5% of the nation for residents living in mobile homes, another factor that can leave residents more vulnerable to heat exposure.
Tennessee’s most vulnerable community resides in the 37813 ZIP code in Morristown, which ranks in the top 98.2% of areas in the nation vulnerable to heat, according to the index.
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