Various factors including topography make weather patterns in this area non-homogeneous. However, I'm not aware that Knoxville is protected from bad weather at all, except for often being warmer than surrounding areas.

I've seen a number or tornados and some major floods in Knoxville. My grandfather's barn with a 1.5'x1.5' footing (he believed in making things last), got ripped out of the ground, footing and all, and lifted about 20 to 30 feet from where it was before by a tornado in northwest Knoxville. The barn was not in that bad of shape but had to be torn down and rebuilt because it was way up in the air on that big footing.

I have seen a number of houses where water got up to 5' or more in the bottom floors during floods in Knoxville. Some people still haven't learned not to build in flood zones.

It seems like at least once a year, I see on TV where a bunch of cars are flooded out over by the zoo because people are too stupid not to drive through the lake that forms over the road there when it floods.

Just a few years ago, a giant tree smashed a car flat across the street from my house in north Knoxville during a bad windstorm.

Finally, you should see the woods at my farm just east of Knoxville. The other day, something happened (microburst???) and took out three large trees and ripped big limbs out of others. I dread having to clean up the mess.

I am certain that Knoxville isn't fully protected from storms. Once person said that when storm shoots north at the correct angle, then Knoxville can take a real beating.

However, after last Septembers flooding rainy day, I did some work in my yard to change the flow of water run-off. Since then, I have anxiously looked forward to another big rain to see if my work will do the trick.

So I have watched as one major, slam dunk storm after another has dissolved just as it travels east over Farragut.

But wow, I didn't know Knoxville had flood plains.... coming from flat florida, I didn't know any area was low enough to actually flood.

I have been here for around three years. Following is what I was told when I first moved here.

Being in the "Transition zone", not north enough for a lot of snow, and not south enough for hurricanes gives Knoxville some protection.

I have also been told that geographically, the area is less prone to tornadoes. They may lose power on the plateau.

I have had a couple near hits of tornadoes here in Oak Ridge, and I am only about 15 miles from you in Knoxville.

I have observed several occasions when it has snowed in Nashville and then moved northest along the plateau, missing us. It seems that Knoxville may, at times, be partially sheltered by the surrounding mountains. I have also observed that it is sometimes colder in Nashville than Knoxville.

It is sometimes colder in Nashville, but equally, it is sometimes colder in Knoxville than it is in middle TN.

I wouldn't take to the bank any predictions of protection afforded by the Cumberland Plateau either. Largely, that is just a flat, elevated plateau, not successive ranges of mountains, which probably DO offer some measure of protection, as in Western North Carolina.