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Chattanooga’s fall weather is warming faster than the typical U.S. city

Staff file photo / Students pass by colorful trees at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Over the past few decades, Chattanooga's autumn months are warming faster than the typical U.S. city. Staff file photo / Students pass by colorful trees at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Over the past few decades, Chattanooga's autumn months are warming faster than the typical U.S. city.

By Ben Sessoms September 14, 2024 3 min read

Over the past several decades, Chattanooga has seen an increase in average fall temperatures as well as more days above normal autumn temperatures, outpacing the national median for both metrics.

According to a recent analysis from Climate Central of weather data from 1970 to 2023, average annual fall temperatures in the Scenic City have increased by nearly 4 degrees.

During that same time span, the city has seen an uptick of 18 days above normal temperatures during the autumn months — September, October and November, according to Climate Central, a policy neutral nonprofit group that tracks the changing climate.

That’s not only above the typical U.S. city on both fronts but also higher than other cities in the state and region such as Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta and Memphis.