Discover the Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded in Tennessee (And When It Could Happen Again)

Tennessee has hot and humid summers without the benefit of an ocean breeze like other southern states. Fortunately, the state’s location and climate prevent it from becoming overwhelmingly hot. Still, one day in Tennessee history was hotter than any other ever recorded. Today, we are going to look at the hottest temperature ever recorded in Tennessee. Learn where it occurred in the state as well as when it could potentially happen again!

The Typical Climate in Tennessee

Before considering the hottest day on record, it is important to get an idea of the average climate in the state. Tennessee’s Köppen-Geiger climate classification is almost entirely humid subtropical with a sliver of the easternmost part of the state being oceanic.

This means that the state has warm to hot summers, cool winters, and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. However, the western part of the state is warmer than the rest because its elevation drops.

The average high summer temperatures in Memphis, Tennessee, one of the warmer places in the state, are:

This part of the state is fairly warm throughout the summer months. Yet, Tennessee is still not known for intense heat like one would find in other southern states, especially those with arid regions like Texas. The high humidity in the region can make any temperatures over 90 °F feel positively oppressive.  

Much of the state does not see temperatures over 100 °F too often, but the hottest places in Tennessee usually break into triple digits at least once a year. All in all, the humidity in the region prevents extremely high temperatures, but the muggy air and heat make the region very hot in the summer. Fortunately, the state has a variety of rivers and lakes people can use to keep cool.

The Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded in Tennessee

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Tennessee was 113 °F, and the temperature was recorded in Perryville on August 9, 1930. Perryville is located halfway between Nashville and Memphis in the western part of the state.

The exceptional heat in this area was a result of the onset of the Dust Bowl. The decade between 1930 and 1940 saw severe droughts strike the Great Plains and the South. In 1930, Tennessee saw the first of four major droughts. That summer saw many of the hottest days on record throughout the state, and many of those records stand in the present day. A few towns and cities set new records in 2012, another very hot summer in the region. However, the overall hottest temperature in the state has not changed since 1930. Better soil management and less severe droughts helped take the edge off modern-day hot summers in the region.

Where Is Perryville on a Map?

Perryville is located in Decatur County along the Tennessee River. The unincorporated area is near where U.S. Route 412 and Tennessee State Route 100 meet in the state.

Generally, Perryville is located between Memphis and Nashville in the western part of the state. Although this region may not seem conducive to extremely hot weather, the drought conditions in the area certainly helped Perryville reach its record temperature.

How Does Tennessee’s Record Temperature Compare to the Country’s Record?

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Tennessee was much lower than the U.S. record. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 °F, and it was recorded in Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913.

However, some people believe that this record temperature was either poorly measured or occurred in abnormal conditions. Even if that record doesn’t count, the same area reached 130 °F in July 2021. California holds the record for the country in any case.

Moreover, the standing record for the hottest day in the U.S. is also the hottest air temperature ever measured on Earth.

When Could the Record Be Set Again?

One of the major contributing factors to the record-setting heat in Perryville was the onset of the Dust Bowl. Regional droughts combined with other factors made it easier for portions of the state to get hotter. Without as much humidity in the soil and air, the temperatures rise higher than they would normally.

A record-breaking day would need to occur at a time when the ground and air were dry. Some of the hottest summers in this century came close to the record temperature, though. Woodbury, Tennessee reached 110 °F on July 6, 2012, one of the hottest summers in recent years. That temperature is close to the record. Yet, another 5 °F of heat would require some truly adverse conditions.   

The Animals That Live Near Perryville

Tennessee has a wide variety of animals that live in the state. These creatures are used to the hot, humid summers in the region. Some of the common animals that live near Perryville include:

• Raccoons
• Groundhogs
• Black bears
• Dark-eyed junco
• White-tailed deer
• Eastern garter snakes
• Bobcats
• Feral pigs
• Northern cardinal
• North American racer
• Common water snake

However, few animals in Tennessee are ready to thrive at 113 °F. Many of them spend a large portion of the day out of direct sunlight and not being active.

Fish would have gone to deeper, cooler waters. Snakes would have spent less time basking, and mammals would have stayed under the cover of vegetation. Unfortunately, the ongoing hot and dry conditions in this region during the Dust Bowl certainly impacted flora and fauna, killing many animals.

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Tennessee was not the hottest in the country. However, the year in which the record-setting day occurred was a harbinger of things to come in the region and the country. Although some temperatures in the state have come close to the record, none of them have broken it in nearly a century.