TENNESSEE — Tennessee’s climate is best known for its hot, humid summers and mild winters, but history shows that snow can arrive much earlier than most residents expect.
According to records maintained by the National Weather Service, the earliest measurable snowfall in the state occurred in Nashville on October 30, 1925.
On that day, enough snow accumulated to be officially recorded, marking the earliest confirmed instance of measurable snow in the city’s climate history.
The records are based on systematic meteorological observations, which began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While it is possible that earlier snowfalls occurred in Tennessee before modern recordkeeping, no reliable, verifiable data exists to confirm such events. As a result, the 1925 snowfall remains the earliest measurable snow event officially recognized in the state.
Elsewhere in Tennessee, snow has been recorded early in the season as well, though not as early as Nashville’s 1925 storm. In Knoxville, for example, the earliest recorded snowfall occurred on November 8, 1991.
These records highlight the variation in weather patterns across different parts of the state, influenced by both geography and elevation.
Though rare, early-season snowfalls remind Tennesseans that winter weather can make an appearance well before the calendar reaches December.
Still, the late October event in Nashville nearly a century ago remains a standout in the state’s climate history, holding the record as the earliest confirmed snowfall in Tennessee.
