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Cold weather in Knoxville, East Tennessee expected to stay for the month

For the first time this season, Knoxville woke up Monday with frost to scrape off windshields and chilly gusts of wind, not to mention lots of fog as the cold met the warmer temperatures of local bodies of water.

Taylor Doster, an employee at The Junction Plants and Produce, lays out stacks of pansies on Monday, one of the first cold days of fall. Pansies are a popular choice for gardens with the weather turns chilly.

The forecast predicts the cool temperatures are here to stay at least until the end of the month.

A cold front from the northwest is keeping temperatures low, but they will rise a bit for the next few days as it passes. Then another cold front will send temperatures back down again, leaving East Tennessee cold for the rest of October.

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Unusually hot, unusually cold

While this month began unusually warm, the latter half is turning out to be unusually cold. This means that despite the sudden change in weather, October overall is expected to average out normal even though temperatures are currently 15 degrees below average.

Fog near the water's surface Monday morning off South Northshore Drive, not far from Carl Cowan Park.

The normal temperatures for Knoxville around this time of year is a high of 70 degrees and a low of 47, according to Andrew Moulton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Morristown. Temperatures dipped down to 33 degrees Sunday night.

While temperatures are not yet technically freezing, it may be time to start preparing for colder weather. People should prepare by checking their pipes and plants. Water should be run intermittently from taps to prevent freezing, and plants which do not handle the cold well should be brought inside.

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Fall weather means fall gardening

However, planting perennial flowers in early fall often leads to larger blooms in spring. By planting them early, the plants can take root over winter and end up stronger when the warmer seasons come.

A woman checks out with a cart of purple and white pansies at The Junction Plants and Produce on Monday, one of the first cold days of fall, with temperatures falling as low as 33 degrees Fahrenheit overnight.

"The most popular by far are pansies," said Ben Blackwood, a manager at Junction Plants and Produce, a local nursery. "That is your primary, and really only option for winter colors. Between now and May they will look good."

Violas and panolas are also popular choices for winter planting, according to Blackwood. While violas typically have smaller flowers, they can also be tougher during the cold and survive worse temperatures than pansies. 

While chrysanthemums are also a popular choice, they are often an exclusively fall choice for gardeners.

"It's sort of like temporary color," Blackwood said. "They're good for about six weeks of color. While it is a perennial plant and they may come back next year, they're just going to bloom in the fall."

A chrysanthemum bush just begins to bloom as Fall sets in at Junction Plants and Produce in Lenoir City. While they are a popular choice for Fall gardening, they do not usually bloom through the Winter.

Shrubs and trees are also a popular choice during the first weeks of fall. Trees planted before the soil gets too cold usually sink deeper root systems than those planted in the warmer seasons, leading to stronger trees.

"Planting in May means you sort of have to babysit sit with the water and everything," Blackwood said. "If you did it now, it would be better off if you went on vacation or that sort of thing."

Some vegetables such as broccoli and lettuce are also best planted in the first few weeks of fall, and often find spots in people's gardens. Pumpkins are also safe to plant above 22 degrees Fahrenheit, and herbs such as rosemary or oregano can be safely harvested.

Baskets of potatoes line a shelf at Junction Plants and Produce, accompanied by other crops such as peppers and okra.

Pets should also be brought inside to avoid potential health issues. Finally, people can expect to break out their fall clothes and dress up in coats and sweaters as Halloween approaches.

"Kids also need to be kept warm for the bus commute in the morning," Moulton said. "It's the coldest part of the day."

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What's the South Carolina game forecast?

Rain is also expected to come through later in the week, starting Friday. While showers are expected to break on Saturday, the Vols may not be able to escape them as they head to Columbia, South Carolina, for this week's football game.

Fog rises on a chilly Monday morning off South Northshore Drive, across from the Town Center Boulevard intersection in Southwest Knox County.

The high in Columbia is expected to hover around 60 degrees Saturday, with a chance for rain.