KNOX COUNTY, Tenn — If this winter seems like it has been a long one, that's because it has been — relative to the past few years.
December 2020 was the coolest and snowiest December we’ve had since 2010, per the 10News Weather Team. East Tennessee had a white Christmas, as well as a pretty coat of snow at the beginning of the month.
January 2021 was pretty cold too. Aside from three warm days, East Tennessee spent the majority of the month with below-average temperatures.
There were at least seven days with a "trace" of snow recorded at the McGhee Tyson Airport, but no measurable snow recorded in January. A series of weather events brought snow to some of the "horseshoe" counties in East Tennessee.
In East Tennessee, the past five Februarys have been warmer than average and some of the wettest on record.
In February 2019, there was more than a foot (13.08") of rainfall recorded with temperatures about 5.6 degrees warmer than average. February 2020 followed closely behind, with 11.44" of rain temperatures roughly 3.2 degrees above average.
So far, February 2021 is off to a cooler and snowier start.
"It seems like we've gotten quite a bit of snow this year," said April Lenz of Campbell County. "Everything was just dreamy. You just felt like you walked into the North Pole and it was magical."
Pamela Stewart of Jamestown was excited to see the Sunday morning snowfall too.
"It was snowing all night long with beautiful big flakes," Stewart told 10News. "I just think it's a beautiful thing up here."
