AboutJerry Yares Expertise Travel, sightseeing, dining, and sleeping here in East TN and the Great Smoky Mountains. Not a golfer, camper, boater, or fisherman.
Experience Lived here since 1998; many years of travel here before that.
Organizations belong to Local photo, nature, garden, and bird clubs
Expert: Jerry Yares Date: 10/1/2004 Subject: Temperature
Question Hi,
Could you please tell me your temperature ranges in may and June? My husband refuses to travel south of the Mason Dixon line in "hot weather" Unfortunatly, he runs on an academic year, so our longest times are from mid May through August! Oh yes, his other excuse is "bugs"-- mosquitos, any kind of biting fly ie: midges, May flies in New England.
This is all very strange as he grew up in central Kentucky and we lived in New Hampshire for ten years!
Thanks M.
Answer Mairia:
Sorry about the delay in replying, but we just got home from a fortnight in Tuscany.
Here in E TN, the absolute best months of the year are April and October. April brings the wildflowers and October produces the fall color. Small comfort to one who is bound by the academic calendar.
May is still warm days and cool nights without a whole lot of bugs. June brings the hot weather, skeeters, and hordes of vacationing families.
Knoxville in the TN River valley average temps during May are max, 79.9; min, 56.4; and avg, 68.2. Same numbers for June are 87.4, 64.9, 76.2.
Bristol is on the TN side of the Blue Ridge--May there is 77.6, 52.7, 65.2; June is 84.5, 60.9, 72.7.
Higher up on the NC side of the Smokies is Asheville--May 76.2, 52.5, 64.4; June 83.2, 60.3, 71.8.
Another side to this is Cooling Degree-Days. In Knoxville, May is 229 and June is 352. Peak is in July, 451. Don't have any numbers for Asheville.
You didn't ask about precip, but here goes anyway:
Knoxville monthly average, greatest, least is May 3.50, 8.81, .71; June 3.33, 11.83, .20. July is a rainy month, particularly in the mountains. Asheville is a bit drier.
May and June, Knoxville averages 11 "wet days" (.01 inch or more). Same for Asheville.
My suggestion is that you tell your husband to turn in his grades on May 15, then load up the car and head for the Smokies. For sure, that's what we used to do when our kids were young and I was teaching at a small university in FL.
