What Are the Warmest Cities in Tennessee?

In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in Tennessee.

I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.

Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in Tennessee that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities in Tennessee.

Top 10 Warmest Cities in Tennessee

Here are the top 10 warmest places in Tennessee ranked by their daily mean temperature. Most of Tennessee has the same humid subtropical climate but there are still some differences between its major cities. The differences in annual average temperatures can reach up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit between various parts of the state.

For the top five cities I also give average winter and summer temperatures.

1. Memphis – daily mean temperature of 63.3 °F

Memphis, the second most populous city in Tennessee, is situated along the Mississippi River on the border with Arkansas. It enjoys the highest average annual temperature in the state, so it takes the number one spot on this list. The average high temperature in the summer reaches about 90-92 °F. Meanwhile, winters average around 51-55 °F during the day.

Compared to Nashville, Memphis is about 2 degrees warmer throughout the year. It’s also sunnier, so if you’re looking for a city in Tennessee with the best weather, Memphis is your best option.

Compared to Mountain City, the coolest city in Tennessee, Memphis is 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer throughout the year.

Winter temperatures: highs of 51-56 °F, lows of 33-37 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 89-92 °F, lows of 70-74 °F

2. Chattanooga – daily mean temperature of 61.85 °F

The fourth most populous city in Tennessee, Chattanooga, is located in East Tennessee. It places second primarily because it has slightly cooler summers than Memphis. Winter average high temperature is pretty much the same. Memphis also wins with more sunny days a year. Still, if you’re looking for a warm city in Eastern Tennessee, Chattanooga offers a slightly warmer climate than Knoxville, the other big city in this region.

Winter temperatures: highs of 51-56 °F, lows of 32-36 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 88-91 °F, lows of 67-71 °F

3. Savannah – daily mean temperature of 61.5 °F

Savannah is a small town in Hardin County, located about 127 miles east of Memphis. It has a very similar climate, with cooler nighttime temperatures throughout the year (great in the summer, worse in the winter). Its annual average temperature places it third in our ranking, a little ahead of Brownsville situated roughly the same distance from Memphis and Savannah.

Winter temperatures: highs of 51-56 °F, lows of 30-34 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 88-91 °F, lows of 67-70 °F

4. Brownsville – daily mean temperature of 60.95 °F

Brownsville is located in Haywood County, north of Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, an important wetland area with the Hatchie River passing through it. It’s about two degrees cooler than Memphis. Daytime winter temperatures climb to about 48-53 °F, while nighttime temperatures drop to 30-33 °F.

Winter temperatures: highs of 48-53 °F, lows of 30-33 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 88-91 °F, lows of 68-71 °F

5. Nashville – daily mean temperature of 60.85 °F

Nashville, the most populous city in Tennessee, is the fifth warmest city in the state. The main climate difference between Memphis and Nashville is that Nashville has cooler winters (by about two degrees) and cooler summers (average summer temperatures are about 1-2 degrees lower). Memphis also has more sunny days per year than Nashville.

Still, Music City is one of the warmest cities in the state. Its annual daily mean temperature is over 7 degrees higher than the coldest place in Tennessee, Crossville (situated on the Cumberland Plateau, its elevation gives it four distinct seasons).

Winter temperatures: highs of 49-54 °F, lows of 30-33 °F

Summer temperatures: highs of 88-91 °F, lows of 66-71 °F

6. Humboldt – daily mean temperature of 60.5 °F

Humboldt is a small town with about 8,000 residents, located about 88 miles northeast of Memphis and about 25 miles northeast of Brownsville. The nearest bigger city, Jackson (ranked #10 in the ranking), is about 18 miles south. It has slightly warmer winter days than Brownsville and Nashville.

7. McMinnville – daily mean temperature of 60.2 °F

McMinnville is located between Nashville and Chattanooga, roughly the same distance from both cities. It’s a town of about 13,000 residents. It’s known for being the “Nursery Capital of the World,” with over 400 nurseries benefiting from the region’s perfect climate and soil conditions. McMinnville has winter temperatures similar to Memphis, with summers that are on average about 3 degrees cooler. This makes it offer a slightly more comfortable year round climate for those who prefer cooler summers.

8. Dyersburg – daily mean temperature of 60.1 °F

Dyersburg located in the Dyer County (with the Mississippi River being it’s western boundary) is another small city located northeast of Memphis, close to Brownsville and Humboldt. Its population of 17,000 people makes it the most populous in the region. It has cooler winters and summers than the other two cities.

9. Fayetteville – daily mean temperature of 60 °F

Fayetteville is located 80 miles south of Nashville. It’s a small town of 7,000 residents. Its winters are almost as warm as Memphis while summers are cooler. If you’re looking for the most pleasant weather in the entire state with less extreme differences in weather between summer and winter, Fayetteville, like McMinnville, may be a better choice than going with the warmest city.

10. Jackson – daily mean temperature of 59.9 °F

Jackson takes the tenth spot on our list. Note that while it’s last in this ranking, it still offers beautiful weather most of the year. It’s only 3.4 °F cooler than the warmest part of Tennessee but still much higher than the United States national average temperature of 52.7 °F (excluding Hawaii and Alaska).

Video Summary of the Warmest Tennessee Cities

50 Biggest Cities in Tennessee Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature

Nashville is the fifth warmest city in Tennessee

I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in Tennessee. When I couldn’t find any weather data collected for a given municipality, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.

City	Average high temperature (°F)	Average low temperature (°F)	Daily mean temperature (°F)
Memphis	73	53.6	63.3
Chattanooga	72.2	51.5	61.85
Savannah	73	50	61.5
Brownsville	71.2	50.7	60.95
Nashville	71.6	50.1	60.85
Humboldt	72	49	60.5
McMinnville	71.2	49.2	60.2
Dyersburg	70.4	49.8	60.1
Fayetteville	71.3	48.7	60
Jackson	71.4	48.4	59.9
Franklin	71.4	47.9	59.65
Shelbyville	71.1	48.2	59.65
Milan	71	48.3	59.65
Knoxville	70	49.2	59.6
Cleveland	71	48.2	59.6
Clarksville	70.2	48.1	59.15
Lebanon	70.4	47.8	59.1
Lenoir City	70.6	47.6	59.1
Sevierville	71.3	46.7	59
Lewisburg	71.9	46.1	59
Murfreesboro	70.4	47.4	58.9
Athens	70.3	47.4	58.85
Martin	69.6	48.1	58.85
Lawrenceburg	70	47.5	58.75
Newport	70.4	47	58.7
Tullahoma	69.3	48	58.65
Hendersonville	70.1	47	58.55
Oak Ridge	68.7	48.4	58.55
Loudon	71	46	58.5
Dayton	69.3	47.5	58.4
Portland	68.8	47.6	58.2
Springfield	68.6	47.6	58.1
Dickson	69.1	47	58.05
Columbia	70.1	45.9	58
Union City	68.6	47.4	58
Alcoa	68	48	58
Paris	69	47	58
Kingsport	68.7	46.2	57.45
Cookeville	69.1	45.7	57.4
Pulaski	69.9	44.8	57.35
Brentwood	69.6	45	57.3
Morristown	68	46.6	57.3
Greeneville	69.1	44.4	56.75
Bristol	68.2	44.9	56.55
Clinton	68	45	56.5
Pigeon Forge	69	43	56
Elizabethton	67.7	44.1	55.9
Johnson City	67	44	55.5
Erwin	67.8	42.9	55.35
Crossville	63.2	44.2	53.7

Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States

If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring Tennessee, check out the following articles:

Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state.