NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Middle Tennessee is getting its first taste of summer with 90° temperatures in the forecast for the last days of April. With the heat this high during the spring, you are probably wondering how hot this summer will get.

In Tennessee, it's normal to have "feels-like" temperatures in the 100s daily during June, July, and August. You might be surprised to learn that the air temperature rarely reaches the triple digits in Nashville.

During the last 10 years, Nashville has only reached the triple digits a total of eight days. All eight of those days occurred in the last three years. This means that in only 30% of the last 10 years, Nashville has recorded a day in the triple digits.

It's not just the last decade. In the last 30 years, Music City has only reached the triple digits during 10 of them. Since records began in the 1800s, Nashville has only recorded a temperature of 100° or higher in about 30% of the years.

The reason triple-digit temperatures are rare in Middle Tennessee is due to the high humidity. Sticky air that causes our feels-like temperature/heat index to reach the 100s is the same thing that prevents our air temperature from getting that high.

Humid air has a lot of water in it, and that makes it much more difficult to heat up. This is why an arid city like Las Vegas reaches the triple digits nearly every day during the summer, while Nashville rarely sees 100°, despite both cities being at the same latitude.

The high humidity, along with its proximity to the ocean, is why the city of Tampa, Florida, has never recorded a temperature in the triple digits, despite being so far south.

In order for the temperature to reach the triple digits in Nashville, the humidity needs to be lower. This typically occurs when there are long stretches without rainfall and drought conditions.

Nashville's average rainfall during the summer is 12.39 inches, and all five of the years with the most 100° days recorded much less rainfall than that.

This means if we see consistent rainfall this summer, we probably won't see many or any days in the triple digits.

In conclusion, our chance of the mercury reaching 100° might be low, but our chance that it will feel like 100° is 100 percent!

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/will-nashville-reach-100-degrees-this-summer/