Has Nashville been hot or just…average…in 2023?

Earth has been hot. July was likely the hottest month for the planet in more than 120,000 years. Wildfires have been raging in Canada, and several parts of the world are experiencing record-breaking heat waves. Nighttime temperatures in Death Valley last month remained over 100 degrees.

But what about Nashville? 

The year started warm. Nashville had its third-warmest winter on record. Even December, which included an Arctic freeze, was slightly warmer than the 30-year climate normal — with temperatures ranging from -1 degrees on Dec. 23 to 73 degrees on Dec. 6. January was more than 7 degrees warmer than normal, and February was nearly 8 degrees warmer, according to the National Weather Service. 

February was the second warmest on record for the city. Nashville hit 85 degrees on Feb. 23, which was the earliest calendar day to reach that temperature on record. It was also the second day in a row to hit above 80 degrees, which is the first time that has occurred in the month of February. 

Courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

July was likely the hottest month on record for Earth.

Subsequently, Nashville had its earliest spring bloom of lilac and honeysuckle, according to the National Phenology Network. 

But then March, April and May were pretty close to average with temperature, and fairly dry. In June, drought started to kick in across the state but has since almost entirely cleared — Nashville got nearly six inches of rain in July, about two inches above average. 

Summer has been mild. June was 1.2 degrees cooler than average, and July was on par with the average. Nashville hit 90 degrees 22 times in July, and a total of 34 times in the first seven months. (That is far less than last year. Nashville reached at least 90 degrees for 28 days in a row during its fifth-longest heat streak on record.) 

“We just happen to be in one of those weather patterns … that’s pretty near normal,” said Caroline Adcock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

For the first seven months of the year, the average temperature in Nashville was about two degrees above normal, and total rainfall was about three inches less than average. 

August is projected to be warmer than average in Tennessee, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.