Sure, a Saturday morning right after a foot of fluffy snow is the best thing ever. But that same amount of snow on Tuesday in Tennessee can make a commute last forever. Imagine it’s the dead of winter and the time of year when the ground is frozen, the air is bone-chilling, and there are piles of dirty, nasty, ice-encrusted snow all over the place.
This is about the time of year when you’re just about ready for spring — especially in Bristol, the snowiest place in Tennessee.
So, put on your parkas, snow boots, and gloves, and let’s go outside to see which Tennessee cities get dumped on the most every year. After analyzing all the cities in Tennessee with Saturday Night Science, we came up with this list as the 10 snowiest cities in Volunteer State.
12.3 inches of snow per year
Located in
Sullivan County, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary between the two cities is also the state line, which runs along State Street in their common downtown district. Bristol is a principal city of the KingsportBristolBristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson CityKingsportBristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area commonly known as the “Tri-Cities” region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.1 inches of snow per year
Located in
Cumberland County, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Crossville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.5 inches of snow per year
11.2 inches of snow per year
Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County. As of the 2010 census, the population of Johnson City was 63,152, and by 2015 the estimated population was 66,027, making it the ninth-largest city in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.1 inches of snow per year
Located in
Carter County, Tennessee
Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original Thirteen Colonies.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10.9 inches of snow per year
Located in
Jefferson County, Tennessee
Morristown is a city in and the county seat of Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen, and Jefferson counties. The Morristown metropolitan area is also a part of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette Combined Statistical Area. Morristown is primarily located in Hamblen County while a small portion of the city is located in Jefferson County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
10.8 inches of snow per year
10.0 inches of snow per year
Jonesborough is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 5,975 at the 2010 census. It is “Tennessee’s oldest town”.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.8 inches of snow per year
Located in
Sullivan County, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee; most of the city is in Sullivan County. The population according to the 2010 census is 48,205.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
9.6 inches of snow per year
Located in
Hawkins County, Tennessee
Mount Carmel is a town located in Hawkins County, Tennessee. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 5,429, an increase of 634 since the 2000 census. It is part of the Kingsport-Bristol -Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the “Tri-Cities” region.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Tennessee’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Tennessee’s snowiest cities are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Cities In Tennessee With The Most Snow
In order to rank the snowiest cities in Tennessee, we used Saturday Night Science and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database, to see which cities in the Volunteer State get the most annual snowfall.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our second time ranking the snowiest cities in Tennessee.
Before we get too far, here are the annual snowfall rates for major cities: Memphis (3.1 inches), Knoxville (5.8 inches), and Chattanooga (2.0 inches).
The snowiest cities in Tennessee are Bristol, Crossville, Oak Grove CDP (Washington County), Johnson City, Elizabethton, Morristown, Bloomingdale, Jonesborough, Kingsport, and Mount Carmel.
There’s a complete chart at the bottom.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Snowiest Places In Tennessee
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Snow (Inches) | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol | 12.3 | 26,674 |
| 2 | Crossville | 12.1 | 11,245 |
| 3 | Oak Grove CDP (Washington County) | 11.5 | 5,099 |
| 4 | Johnson City | 11.2 | 64,978 |
| 5 | Elizabethton | 11.1 | 14,058 |
| 6 | Morristown | 10.9 | 29,247 |
| 7 | Bloomingdale | 10.8 | 9,730 |
| 8 | Jonesborough | 10.0 | 5,189 |
| 9 | Kingsport | 9.8 | 52,898 |
| 10 | Mount Carmel | 9.6 | 5,441 |
| 11 | Church Hill | 9.5 | 6,725 |
| 12 | Fairfield Glade | 9.1 | 8,216 |
| 13 | Greeneville | 8.9 | 15,031 |
| 14 | Erwin | 8.5 | 6,028 |
| 15 | Cookeville | 8.1 | 31,831 |
| 16 | Union City | 7.0 | 10,722 |
| 17 | La Follette | 6.9 | 7,218 |
| 18 | Sparta | 6.9 | 5,074 |
| 19 | Pigeon Forge | 6.7 | 6,039 |
| 20 | Oak Ridge | 6.4 | 29,310 |
| 21 | Seymour | 6.4 | 11,059 |
| 22 | Alcoa | 6.4 | 8,737 |
| 23 | Maryville | 6.2 | 27,993 |
| 24 | Farragut | 6.2 | 21,374 |
| 25 | Springfield | 5.9 | 16,639 |
| 26 | Knoxville | 5.8 | 183,066 |
| 27 | Sevierville | 5.8 | 15,903 |
| 28 | Jefferson City | 5.7 | 8,396 |
| 29 | Clinton | 5.5 | 9,918 |
| 30 | Lenoir City | 5.5 | 8,943 |
| 31 | Greenbrier | 5.3 | 6,611 |
| 32 | Loudon | 5.1 | 5,653 |
| 33 | McMinnville | 5.0 | 13,651 |
| 34 | Newport | 5.0 | 6,874 |
| 35 | Tellico Village | 5.0 | 6,136 |
| 36 | Paris | 4.8 | 10,166 |
| 37 | Athens | 4.3 | 13,634 |
| 38 | La Vergne | 4.2 | 34,081 |
| 39 | White House | 4.1 | 10,810 |
| 40 | Covington | 4.1 | 9,036 |
| 41 | Dunlap | 4.1 | 5,022 |
| 42 | Humboldt | 4.0 | 8,325 |
| 44 | Jackson | 3.9 | 67,161 |
| 45 | Smyrna | 3.9 | 43,580 |
| 46 | Soddy-Daisy | 3.9 | 13,158 |
| 47 | Martin | 3.9 | 11,199 |
| 48 | Milan | 3.9 | 7,817 |
| 49 | Nolensville | 3.8 | 6,361 |
| 50 | Dyersburg | 3.7 | 16,932 |
| 51 | Brownsville | 3.7 | 10,016 |
| 52 | Brentwood | 3.5 | 39,974 |
| 53 | Gallatin | 3.5 | 32,518 |
| 54 | Lawrenceburg | 3.5 | 10,487 |
| 55 | Atoka | 3.5 | 8,845 |
| 56 | Winchester | 3.5 | 8,502 |
| 57 | Munford | 3.5 | 6,044 |
| 58 | Sweetwater | 3.5 | 5,872 |
| 59 | Clarksville | 3.4 | 143,618 |
| 60 | Manchester | 3.4 | 10,298 |
| 61 | Ripley | 3.4 | 8,291 |
| 62 | Millersville | 3.4 | 6,579 |
| 63 | Mount Juliet | 3.3 | 28,395 |
| 64 | Harriman | 3.3 | 6,267 |
| 65 | McKenzie | 3.3 | 5,551 |
| 66 | Millington | 3.2 | 11,113 |
| 67 | Memphis | 3.1 | 657,167 |
| 68 | Goodlettsville | 3.1 | 16,672 |
| 69 | Henderson | 3.1 | 6,474 |
| 70 | Murfreesboro | 3.0 | 117,983 |
| 71 | Portland | 3.0 | 11,963 |
| 72 | Arlington | 3.0 | 11,635 |
| 73 | Rockwood | 3.0 | 5,466 |
| 74 | Hartsville/Trousdale County | 2.9 | 7,884 |
| 75 | Dayton | 2.9 | 7,355 |
| 76 | Green Hill | 2.9 | 6,741 |
| 77 | Bartlett | 2.8 | 58,107 |
| 78 | Hendersonville | 2.8 | 54,168 |
| 79 | Spring Hill | 2.8 | 32,831 |
| 80 | Dickson | 2.8 | 14,951 |
| 81 | Shelbyville | 2.6 | 20,779 |
| 82 | Kingston | 2.6 | 5,865 |
| 83 | Franklin | 2.5 | 68,549 |
| 84 | Germantown | 2.5 | 39,262 |
| 85 | Tullahoma | 2.5 | 19,022 |
| 86 | Lakeland | 2.5 | 12,556 |
| 87 | Lewisburg | 2.4 | 11,321 |
| 88 | Savannah | 2.4 | 7,032 |
| 89 | Bolivar | 2.4 | 5,219 |
| 90 | East Ridge | 2.3 | 21,275 |
| 91 | Lebanon | 2.2 | 28,638 |
| 92 | Fairview | 2.2 | 8,121 |
| 93 | Columbia | 2.1 | 35,627 |
| 94 | Middle Valley | 2.1 | 12,235 |
| 95 | Red Bank | 2.1 | 11,793 |
| 96 | Pulaski | 2.1 | 7,648 |
| 97 | Chattanooga | 2.0 | 174,483 |
| 98 | Lexington | 2.0 | 7,802 |
| 99 | Harrison | 2.0 | 7,601 |
| 100 | Collierville | 1.9 | 47,434 |
| 101 | Oakland | 1.9 | 7,106 |
Source: NOAA snowfall data via Saturday Night Science. 105 Tennessee cities ranked.
Summary
Summary: The Snowiest Cities In Tennessee For 2026
If you’re looking for the Tennessee cities that get buried in snow each winter, this is an accurate list.
The snowiest cities in Tennessee are Bristol, Crossville, Oak Grove CDP (Washington County), Johnson City, Elizabethton, Morristown, Bloomingdale, Jonesborough, Kingsport, and Mount Carmel. Not sold on Tennessee? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Snowiest Cities In Tennessee FAQs
What is the snowiest city in Tennessee?
Bristol is the snowiest city in Tennessee for 2026, with 12.3 inches of snow in an average year, per NOAA data. Crossville and Oak Grove CDP (Washington County) are next.
What are the snowiest cities in Tennessee?
The snowiest cities in Tennessee are Bristol, Crossville, Oak Grove CDP (Washington County), Johnson City, Elizabethton, Morristown, Bloomingdale, Jonesborough, Kingsport, and Mount Carmel. We ranked all 105 Tennessee cities with measurable snowfall.
How much snow do Tennessee’s biggest cities get?
Memphis averages 3.1 inches of snow a year, Knoxville gets 5.8, and Chattanooga gets 2.0. Wherever you land in Tennessee, the shovel situation varies a lot.
Which city on the list gets the least snow?
South Cleveland gets the least snow of the 105 Tennessee cities with measurable snowfall. It still made the list, which is more than most of the Sun Belt can say.
Where does the snowfall data come from?
Average annual snowfall comes from NOAA weather station records. Cities are ranked purely on that average — no bonus points for dramatic blizzard stories.
