🎃 Bear Archery Ends Today, Dry Weather Runs Into Next Thursday, and Halloween Odds Lean Mild With a Little Rain: Your Dunlap Weather & Outdoors Week

Or: Foggy Daybreaks, Sunny Low 70s, Today’s Driest Burn Air, Mild 60s for Friday-Night Games, and the Plateau’s Best Color Week Ahead

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Friday, October 23, 2026

Good Friday morning. Weather Service airport sensors showed Crossville at about 39 degrees around 7:30 this morning, with patches of fog, and Chattanooga at about 48 under clear skies. Dunlap’s forecast calls for a sunny day with a high near 75 and nearly calm winds. National Weather Service Morristown’s two key messages haven’t budged: patchy early fog near rivers and lakes, and “dry weather dominates the forecast period, with cool mornings and pleasant afternoons each day.”

Here’s the week in one breath. The dry forecast now runs through next Thursday, Oct. 29, one day longer than yesterday, with highs from 72 to 75 and lows from 43 to 47. Morristown’s Hazardous Weather Outlook says no hazardous weather is expected through Thursday, and there were no watches, warnings or advisories for Dunlap this morning. Today has the driest afternoon air of the week for burn piles; Sunday is the dampest. The federal outlook covering Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 now leans slightly wetter and likely warmer than normal, which takes in Halloween. And mark it down: today is the last day of archery-only bear season.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Today: Sunny, high near 75. Friday-night games: about 64 at 7 p.m. and 56 by 9. Bring a jacket.
• This week: Sunny or mostly sunny every day. Highs 73, 72, 73, 75, 73, 75 (Saturday through Thursday); lows 43 to 47.
• Rain: None through Thursday. Odds lean a little wetter around Halloween weekend.
• Burning: No bans. Free same-day permit required. Sunday is the best burn day; today is the driest.
• Remember: Bear archery ends today. Dove season ends Nov. 1. Rabbit and quail open Nov. 7.
• Halloween: Sunset about 5:48 p.m. Clocks fall back the next day, Sunday, Nov. 1.

📅 One More Dry Day Added: Sunshine Now Runs to Next Thursday

Morristown’s forecasters say the same “persistent pattern” of high pressure “will continue to provide dry weather through the weekend and well into next week.” They do see a weather system passing to our north around midweek, “but precipitation currently looks likely to remain well to our north with dry weather continuing for our area through next Thursday.” They add that highs each day should be “not far off of seasonal normals.” For reference, a normal late-October day at the Chattanooga airport runs about 72 for a high and 49 for a low, and yesterday came in at 76 and 43. Dunlap’s point forecast, updated about 6:06 a.m. Central:

• Tonight: Clear, near 44. Patchy fog after 4 a.m.
• Saturday: Patchy fog before 8 a.m., then sunny, high near 73. Night: clear, near 43.
• Sunday: Sunny, high near 72. Night: clear, near 43.
• Monday: Sunny, high near 73. Night: partly cloudy, near 44.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, high near 75. Night: partly cloudy, near 47.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, high near 73. Night: partly cloudy, near 45.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny, high near 75. Rain chance just 1%.

What it means for you: This forecast is like a good mule: not flashy, but it shows up the same way every morning. For Friday-night football and band, the hourly forecast drops from about 68 at 6 p.m. to 64 at 7 and 56 by 9, so the stands will feel a lot cooler by the fourth quarter. A stadium blanket earns its keep. Saturday-morning fog favors the creek and river bottoms before 8 a.m., so take it easy on the way to ball practice or the yard sales. With no rain in sight for a week, it’s a fine stretch for hauling hay, cleaning gutters or finishing a roof patch.

👉 Read more (Dunlap 7-day forecast) · NWS Morristown forecast discussion · Hazardous Weather Outlook

🎃 Halloween Weekend Outlook: Mild Is Likely, a Little Rain Is Possible

Halloween isn’t in the regular seven-day forecast yet, but the federal Climate Prediction Center’s newest outlook, issued Thursday afternoon, now covers it. The 6-to-10-day map for Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 shades Middle and East Tennessee at about a 33 to 40 percent chance of above-normal rain. That’s a light “leaning wetter,” a small step up from the “near normal” the same map showed the day before. The written discussion says above-normal rain is favored “for most of the Great Plains eastward into the Midwest and southeastern CONUS, with enhanced southerly moisture flow.” The temperature map is the bigger signal: most of Tennessee sits at about a 60 to 70 percent chance of warmer than normal. Looking a bit further out, the 8-to-14-day outlook for Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 holds Tennessee at about 40 to 50 percent for above-normal rain, and also likely warmer than normal.

For trick-or-treaters, here’s what we already know for sure. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the U.S. Naval Observatory puts Dunlap’s sunset at about 5:48 p.m. Central, with real darkness settling in around 6:14 p.m. The moon won’t rise until about 11 p.m., so the early evening will be good and dark.

What it means for you: Think of this outlook like an almanac at the feed store: good for a hint, not for setting the hour. “Leaning wetter” means the odds of a wet day are a bit better than usual over that whole five-day stretch, not that Halloween night itself will be rainy. The warm lean is the part worth leaning on, so costumes probably won’t need a coat stuffed under them. Since it’ll be dark by about 6:15, plan now for flashlights, glow sticks or reflective tape, and drivers, slow down in neighborhoods. Saturday, Oct. 31 should show up in the regular forecast by this weekend; we’ll pass it along.

👉 Read more (Climate Prediction Center 6–10 day outlook maps) · 8–14 day outlook maps · Forecasters’ written discussion · Naval Observatory sun and moon times

🔥 Burn Piles: Today Is the Driest. Sunday Is the Kindest.

Morristown’s fire-weather forecast for the Sequatchie County zone puts today’s lowest afternoon humidity at about 28 to 33 percent, the driest of the week, and Saturday at 33 to 38. After that the air gets friendlier: about 46 percent Sunday, 40 Monday, 39 Tuesday, 41 Wednesday and 44 Thursday, with winds under 10 mph. Smoke lift (“dispersion”) is rated generally poor today and very poor tonight, so smoke will tend to hang low, then improves to fair by Saturday afternoon. Forecasters added a helpful note: “light winds will help to mitigate fire weather concerns.”

Tennessee’s burn-ban page still read this morning: “Currently, there are no active burn bans in the State of Tennessee.” Locally, you still need a free same-day permit from the Division of Forestry to burn leaves or brush outside city limits, through May 15.

What it means for you: Choosing a burn day is a lot like choosing a day to hang laundry: some days things dry too fast. Today the air is thirsty, so if the brush pile can wait, Sunday is the pick of the week, with Thursday close behind. Get the permit at BurnSafeTN.org, in the MyTN app, or by calling 1-877-350-BURN (2876) on weekdays. Keep piles small, keep a hose and rake handy, never walk off, and have it completely out by midnight. Town residents, check city rules first.

👉 Read more (Morristown fire-weather forecast) · Burn-ban status · Tennessee burn permit rules

🦌 Hunters’ Calendar: Bear Archery’s Last Day, Dove Winds Down, Rabbits and Quail Are Next

These dates are statewide from TWRA’s season summary, with local notes. Sequatchie County is in Deer Unit 4 and the Transitional Bear Zone.

• Today, Friday, Oct. 23: Last day of the archery-only bear season.
• Through Friday, Oct. 30: Archery deer and archery fall turkey continue.
• Saturday–Sunday, Oct. 31–Nov. 1: Young Sportsman deer hunt (ages 6–16, with a non-hunting adult 21 or older).
• Sunday, Nov. 1: Last day of the second dove season segment, which opened Oct. 10. Dove returns Dec. 8.
• Monday–Friday, Nov. 2–6: Archery deer reopens.
• Saturday, Nov. 7: Muzzleloader/archery deer opens, and so do rabbit (daily bag 5) and quail (daily bag 6).

For hikers and climbers in Marion County: Prentice Cooper State Forest west of State Route 27 (Suck Creek Road) is hunters only this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24–25, and again Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 29–31, for a muzzleloader hunt. Edwards Point, east of Route 27, stays open.

What it means for you: Fall hunting dates stack up like canning jars on a shelf, and it’s easy to grab the wrong one. If you bowhunt bear, today is it. Bird hunters have about a week of dove left, and rabbit-and-quail folks can start oiling up for Nov. 7. With afternoons in the 70s, carry ice to cool game fast, and wear bright orange in the woods when guns are out, whether you’re hunting or hiking.

👉 Read more (TWRA hunting seasons summary) · Prentice Cooper hunt dates

🍁 Leaf Lookers: The Parks Point to Next Week for the Plateau’s Best Color

Tennessee State Parks, promoting a ranger-led hike at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park, says “the Cumberland Plateau is expected to have some of its best fall color viewing during the week of October 26.” Its statewide guide also suggests late October for plateau parks like Cumberland Mountain near Crossville. Dry years can make color patchy, so think of the dates as a ballpark, not a promise.

What it means for you: Leaf season is like the last of the garden tomatoes: you don’t wait for the perfect one. Every day next week is forecast sunny or mostly sunny, so a weekday drive up the mountain could beat the weekend crowds. Waterfalls run thin in a dry fall, so aim for overlooks and ridge-top views. And since it’s dark before 6 p.m. now, start back down early and watch for deer along the roadsides at dusk.

👉 Read more (Tennessee State Parks: Mesa Top Fall Colors hike) · Fall color guide

💧 The Rain Ledger: Still Behind, and the Next Drought Map Comes Thursday

There’s no new Drought Monitor map until Thursday, Oct. 29, so the latest county picture from yesterday still stands. Chattanooga’s airport report gives a quick update on the rain ledger: 2.71 inches so far in October, a hair above normal, but 3.41 inches behind since Sept. 1 and 9.59 inches behind for the year. No rain fell Thursday.

What it means for you: The ground is like a checking account that’s been short a while; one good deposit helps, but it takes a few. Keep giving new trees, shrubs and fall plantings a deep drink about once a week, keep an eye on pond levels and stock tanks, and go easy on extras if you’re on a spring or shallow well. That’s just thrift, not alarm.

👉 Read more (Chattanooga daily climate report) · U.S. Drought Monitor: Tennessee

✅ Your Friday-to-Thursday Checklist

• ✅ Today, Friday, Oct. 23: Last day of archery-only bear season.
• ✅ Tonight: Jacket or blanket for the ballgame: about 64 at 7 p.m., 56 by 9.
• ✅ Saturday, before 8 a.m.: Fog in the creek bottoms. Low beams, slow down.
• ✅ Saturday–Sunday, Oct. 24–25: Prentice Cooper west of Hwy. 27 is hunters only. Edwards Point stays open.
• ✅ Sunday, Oct. 25: Best burn day of the week. Free permit first, out by midnight.
• ✅ Week of Oct. 26: Plateau color expected near its best. Pick a sunny weekday.
• ✅ By Thursday, Oct. 29: Finish the dry-weather chores. Rain odds tilt up a little after that.
• ✅ Before Saturday, Oct. 31: Gather flashlights, glow sticks or reflective tape. Sunset about 5:48.
• ✅ Sunday, Nov. 1: Clocks fall back one hour, and dove season’s second segment ends.

Practical rule: Dry through Thursday, mild for Halloween. Burn on Sunday if you can, carry a light after 6 p.m., and check the date before you head to the woods.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Weather Glossary

• High pressure: A big area of sinking, settled air. It keeps skies clear and storms steered away, which is why we’ve been so dry.
• Seasonal normals: The 30-year average high and low for a date. Near Chattanooga right now, that’s about 72 and 49.
• 6-to-10-day outlook: A federal forecast of odds for a five-day stretch about a week out. It says “wetter or drier than normal,” not which day it’ll rain.
• Leaning wetter (33 to 40 percent): A slight tilt toward more rain than usual. It’s the weakest category on the map.
• Relative humidity: How much moisture the air holds compared to how much it could. Low numbers mean fires catch and spread more easily.
• Dispersion: How well smoke rises and spreads out. “Poor” means it tends to hang low.
• Civil twilight: The glow after sunset. When it ends, it’s dark enough that you’ll want a light.
• Season segment: Some hunting seasons, like dove, open and close more than once a year. Each open stretch is a segment.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is any rain in the forecast?

Not through next Thursday, Oct. 29, according to Dunlap’s National Weather Service forecast. Federal outlooks lean slightly wetter than normal for Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, but that’s odds over several days, not a promise.

Will it rain on Halloween?

It’s too early to say. Halloween falls inside a “leaning wetter” window, but the outlook doesn’t pick days. The stronger signal is mild weather. Oct. 31 should show up in the regular seven-day forecast this weekend.

What time does it get dark on Halloween?

The U.S. Naval Observatory puts Dunlap’s sunset at about 5:48 p.m. Central on Oct. 31, with twilight ending about 6:14. Plan on lights and reflective gear for anyone out after 6.

Is there a burn ban?

No. Tennessee’s burn-ban page says there are no active burn bans anywhere in the state. You still need a free same-day permit to burn leaves or brush outside city limits through May 15.

What’s the best day this week to burn brush?

Based on Morristown’s fire-weather forecast, Sunday, when afternoon humidity is about 46 percent, with Thursday close behind. Today is the driest day of the week, and smoke will hang low.

When does rabbit and quail season open?

Saturday, Nov. 7, statewide, the same day muzzleloader deer season opens, according to TWRA’s season summary. Check the TWRA guide for any rules that fit your land or wildlife management area.

Will it frost this week?

Not in the valley, based on the current forecast, with lows of 43 to 47. Higher ground can run a few degrees colder, so keep an eye on tender plants up on the mountain.

🔗 Other Resources

• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• National Weather Service Morristown
• Morristown fire-weather forecast
• Climate Prediction Center 6–10 day outlook
• Climate Prediction Center 8–14 day outlook
• U.S. Drought Monitor: Tennessee
• BurnSafeTN: free burn permits
• Tennessee burn-ban status
• TWRA hunting seasons summary
• Prentice Cooper State Forest hunt dates
• Tennessee State Parks: when to see fall color
• U.S. Naval Observatory sun and moon times
• Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative outages

🌤️ A Gentle Week, and a Mild Halloween on the Horizon

Nothing in this forecast calls for worry. No storms, no watches, no burn bans and no freeze in the valley, just foggy daybreaks, sunny afternoons and cool nights made for a front-porch sweater. Halloween looks mild, with only a slight nudge toward rain, and the dry ground would welcome a drink whenever it comes. Until then, burn on the damper days, light up the trick-or-treat path, and get up the mountain for the color while it lasts.

We’ll keep watching the sky so you don’t have to. Read Dunlap.Today for calm, practical weather in plain English.