🔥 Burn Season Opens Today, One Last 89-Degree Afternoon, and a 38-Degree Saturday Night — Your Valley Weather, Garden & Farm Thursday

Or: Permit Day One, a Record-Warm Week’s Last Hot Day, and Two Nights to Cover the Garden

By Thomas Seest, Dunlap.Today · Thursday, October 15, 2026

Good morning, neighbor. Pour the coffee and settle in. If yesterday felt more like July than October, you weren’t imagining it. Chattanooga reached 92 degrees on Wednesday, breaking a record of 87 that had stood since 1954.

Today is the last of it. National Weather Service Dunlap (updated about 6 a.m. Central) calls for sunshine and a high near 89. Then a cold front arrives Friday with gusty wind, and the weekend turns truly cool. Since Wednesday’s edition, the cool-down has edged a little colder: Saturday’s high is now near 60 (it was 63), Saturday night’s low near 38 (it was 39), and Sunday night near 40 (it was 44).

And this is day one of burn-permit season. Starting today, you need a free permit from the state to burn a brush or leaf pile.

⏱️ What this means for you in 30 seconds

• Today (Thu.): Sunny, high near 89, light wind. Last summer-warm chore afternoon.
• Burn permits: Required starting today, through May 15. Free online at BurnSafeTN.org or 877-350-BURN (2876).
• Friday: High near 80, then the front. Temperatures fall into the 60s by late afternoon. Gusts near 25 mph, up to 30 Friday night.
• Weekend: Saturday high near 60, north wind gusting near 25. Saturday night near 38; Sunday night near 40. Frost possible in low spots and higher ground.
• Market: Sat., Oct. 17, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., Harris Park, with Young Entrepreneurs Day. About 48° at opening with a north breeze.

📝 Jot This Down

1. Burn permits start today. Get one free at BurnSafeTN.org (7 days a week, 8 a.m.–11 p.m.) or 877-350-BURN (2876), weekdays 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central. It’s good for one day only. Skip windy Friday and Saturday.
2. Cover tender plants Saturday and Sunday evenings. Saturday night’s low is near 38 in town; Sunday night near 40. Pick the last peppers and tomatoes today while it’s warm.
3. Windbreaker for the market. About 48 degrees at 9 a.m. Saturday with a north breeze. The free Days of Yesteryear tractor show runs Saturday and Sunday, too.

🌡️ A Record 92 Yesterday, One More Hot Day Today, Then a Real Fall Turn

The National Weather Service’s Chattanooga climate report shows the airport reached 92 degrees Wednesday afternoon. That is 17 degrees above normal for the date and a new record; the old mark was 87 in 1954. Forecasters in Morristown say today’s records could fall, too. Chattanooga’s record for Oct. 15 is 85, set in 1950.

The Morristown office lists no hazardous weather today through next Wednesday. Its key messages this morning: one more hot day, a few showers Friday afternoon and evening (mainly in northeast Tennessee and the mountains), and frost possible Saturday night, and to a lesser extent Sunday night.

The Dunlap point forecast (updated about 6:05 a.m. Central):

• Thu., Oct. 15: Sunny. High near 89. Tonight clear, low around 63.
• Fri., Oct. 16: Sunny. High near 80, with temperatures falling to around 63 in the afternoon. West wind 5–15 mph, gusts up to 25 mph. Friday night mostly cloudy, low around 45, gusts up to 30 mph.
• Sat., Oct. 17: Mostly sunny. High near 60. North wind 10–15 mph, gusts up to 25. Saturday night mostly clear, low around 38.
• Sun., Oct. 18: Sunny. High near 64. Sunday night low around 40.
• Mon., Oct. 19: Sunny. High near 68. Low around 45.
• Tue., Oct. 20: Sunny. High near 70. Low around 46.
• Wed., Oct. 21: Sunny. High near 74. Low around 48.

No meaningful rain shows up for the Valley in the seven-day outlook.

What it means for you: Do outdoor work this morning and drink plenty of water — 89 in mid-October is still hot work. The hourly forecast peaks near 89 around 3 p.m. Before you turn in Friday night, put away anything light on the porch. From 89 this afternoon to about 60 Saturday afternoon is nearly a 30-degree drop, so set out the sweaters tonight.

👉 Read more (NWS Dunlap forecast) · Chattanooga climate report · NWS Morristown forecast discussion

🔥 Burn Permit Season Opens Today: Pick the Calm Day, Not the First Day

From Oct. 15 through May 15, the Tennessee Division of Forestry requires a free burn permit for leaf piles, brush and branches, storm debris and prescribed burns. The Division’s permit page says online permits are available seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern and Central, depending on where you live. By phone, call 877-350-BURN (2876), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central, except holidays. Lines can be busy; the state encourages using the online system.

A permit is good for one day. Get it the day you burn, and have the fire completely out by midnight. A covered burn barrel with a ½-inch mesh screen, grilling and ceremonial fires don’t need a permit. The state pauses permits on days when fire danger is too high. Some cities and counties have their own stricter rules — inside Dunlap city limits, call City Hall at 423-949-2115 before you strike a match.

The ground is dry. Chattanooga’s climate report shows 3.39 inches of rain since Sept. 1, about 2½ inches below normal. Friday’s gusts near 25 (30 Friday night) and Saturday’s north wind gusting near 25 are poor burning weather. The hourly forecast shows light winds Sunday through Tuesday, which look calmer — but check that morning. Afternoon humidity still dips to about 45 to 55 percent, and dry leaves catch fast.

What it means for you: There’s no prize for burning on day one. Stack the limbs today, well away from buildings, fences and trees, and scrape a ring of bare dirt around the pile. Pick a calm morning, get the permit that day, keep a hose and rake handy, and stay with the fire until it’s dead out.

👉 Read more (TN Division of Forestry: Get a Burn Permit) · BurnSafeTN

❄️ Two Chilly Nights Ahead: Cover Saturday, Keep the Sheets Handy Sunday

Dunlap’s hourly forecast shows the temperature sliding to about 38 around 6 to 7 a.m. Sunday, under mostly clear skies and light wind. That is the official town number. Cold air settles into hollows and creek bottoms on calm nights, so low spots can run a few degrees colder. Morristown forecasters say frost is most likely in northeast Tennessee, southwest Virginia and the higher elevations — but 38 is close enough that patchy frost can form on grass and low plants here, too.

Sunday night’s low near 40 is the second chance. The weather service lists frost Sunday night “to a lesser extent,” so keep your covers folded by the back door instead of putting them away Sunday morning.

UT Extension’s season-extension guide says lightweight floating row covers can go right over plants without a frame and trap the soil’s warmth. An old bedsheet works too. Weigh down the edges so the wind doesn’t lift them, and take the covers off once the morning warms.

What it means for you: Today, pick every pepper and any ripe or nearly ripe tomato. Bring porch ferns, geraniums and other tender pots inside Saturday afternoon, after the wind lets up a bit. Cover the garden before dark Saturday and again Sunday if you like. Kale, cabbage and collards can take a light frost — UT says they often taste better for it.

👉 Read more (NWS Morristown key messages) · UT: Season extension and row covers

🌱 This Week’s Garden Chores, Garlic and a Local Fall Planting

UT’s 2026 Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden calendar (W436) has a short reminder for most days this week:

• Thu., Oct. 15: Extend the life of your tools with proper sharpening and oiling.
• Fri., Oct. 16: Make sure late-season crops have enough water and nutrients, but not too much.
• Sat., Oct. 17: What were your favorite peppers and tomatoes this year? Write the varieties down.
• Sun., Oct. 18: Have you had a frost yet? Write it down.
• Mon., Oct. 19: Cabbage-family crops sometimes taste better after a little frost.
• Wed., Oct. 21: Review your soil test reports and make additions to adjust pH for next year.

UT’s October task list adds that unripe tomatoes can be picked to ripen slowly indoors when frost is coming, and that October is still a good time to seed cover crops and take soil tests. If you haven’t dug your sweet potatoes yet, do it today while the soil is warm.

Garlic is still on. UT’s garlic guide (D75) says East Tennessee gardeners often plant from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1. Plant larger cloves about 1 to 1½ inches deep in well-drained soil, and water them in — it’s dry.

A local example of fall planting: Dunlap.Today reports that Stone Creek Farm in Dunlap brought in 145 new blueberry plants this week to replant rows that have struggled. The farm is planting in fall so roots can settle in before winter and be ready for next summer’s heat. It’s a good reminder that fall is a fine season to set out fruit plants, not just to pull them.

Soil test help: A basic UT soil test runs about $15. Get sample boxes and advice at UT Extension Sequatchie County, 170 Church Street, Dunlap, 423-949-2611, open 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m.

What it means for you: Sharpen and oil your tools today as you put them away. Write your best tomato and pepper names in a notebook Saturday. Plant a short row of garlic, and keep it watered until rain returns.

👉 Read more (UT 2026 Garden Calendar) · UT: Garlic for the Tennessee Garden · Dunlap.Today: Stone Creek Farm

🐄 Pasture and Hay: Count the Bales, Mark the Frost Date

As of early this morning, the newest U.S. Drought Monitor numbers posted for Sequatchie County are still from the Oct. 6 map: 100 percent of the county in at least moderate drought, and about 6 percent in severe drought. The next map, which should show whether last week’s rain helped, normally posts Thursday morning — check droughtmonitor.unl.edu later today.

The newest USDA Crop Progress report (released Oct. 13) rated Tennessee pastures 16 percent very poor and 21 percent poor — about 37 percent in rough shape statewide. Topsoil moisture was 30 percent very short and 42 percent short. Those are statewide numbers, not a county survey, but they fit what many of us see along the fence rows. The next weekly report is due Monday, Oct. 19.

If frost touches your fields this weekend, the UT Beef & Forage Center rule still applies: keep cattle off johnsongrass, sudangrass and sorghum-sudangrass for 10 to 14 days after a frost, and off any fresh regrowth, because frosted plants can release deadly prussic acid.

Local livestock note: Dunlap.Today reports that Augustine and Jana Shows of Wild Bergamot Farm in Dunlap completed artificial-insemination training through Premier Select Sires on Oct. 9–10, as the farm builds an Italian River water buffalo dairy herd. It’s another sign of the Valley’s farm community trying new things.

What it means for you: Walk the barn this week with a notepad and count bales by lot. If you’ll need to buy hay, call around now rather than in February. Write any frost date on the barn calendar and count forward two weeks before cattle go back on johnsongrass. Questions? UT Extension Sequatchie: 423-949-2611.

👉 Read more (USDA Crop Progress, Oct. 13) · U.S. Drought Monitor · UT: Prussic Acid After Frost · Dunlap.Today: Wild Bergamot Farm

🛒 Saturday in Dunlap: Market, Young Vendors and Old Tractors

The Dunlap Farmers Market is open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central at the Jeff Johnson Pavilion, Harris Park, 245 Cedar Street, April through October. This Saturday, Oct. 17, is also Young Entrepreneurs Day, when young people sell things they made or grew themselves. The market hasn’t posted an age range or deadline; families can apply at dunlapfarmersmarket.com and mark the application for the kids market.

The hourly forecast shows about 48 degrees at 9 a.m. with a north wind near 10 mph, warming only to the mid-50s by noon. That’s a little breezier and cooler than Wednesday’s edition showed.

A few blocks away, the free 21st Days of Yesteryear Antique Tractor Show is at its new home, Coops Creek Commons, 287 Pine Street, Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 8 a.m. and activities run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with heritage farm demonstrations and a “Parade of Power” of vintage tractors. Admission and parking are free. For information, Dunlap.Today lists Paul Swafford, 423-618-0540, or Bill Gray, 423-949-2815.

What it means for you: Wear layers and a windbreaker, bring a market bag, and buy a little something from a young vendor. Then stroll over and watch the old tractors — maybe one like Granddad’s. Confirm market details on its Facebook page or at dunlapfarmersmarket@gmail.com before you drive in.

👉 Read more (Dunlap Farmers Market) · Young Entrepreneurs Day · Days of Yesteryear

📅 Week-Ahead Weather, Garden & Farm Calendar

• Thu., Oct. 15: Sunny near 89. Burn permits required starting today. Pick peppers and tomatoes; dig any remaining sweet potatoes; sharpen and oil tools. Check for the new Drought Monitor map.
• Fri., Oct. 16: High near 80, then the front; falling into the 60s by late afternoon. Gusts near 25 (30 at night). Poor day to burn. Tie down porch items.
• Sat., Oct. 17: High near 60, north gusts near 25. Farmers Market + Young Entrepreneurs Day, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. (about 48 at opening). Days of Yesteryear, gates 8 a.m. Saturday night near 38 — cover or bring in tender plants.
• Sun., Oct. 18: Sunny near 64; lighter wind. Days of Yesteryear, day two. Write down any frost date. Sunday night near 40 — keep covers handy.
• Mon., Oct. 19: Sunny near 68. New USDA Crop Progress report. If frost touched johnsongrass, keep cattle off for 10–14 days.
• Tue., Oct. 20: Sunny near 70. Light winds.
• Wed., Oct. 21: Sunny near 74. UT calendar: review soil reports and adjust pH.
• Thu., Oct. 22: Next weekly Drought Monitor map. Beyond the seven-day forecast — check NWS that morning.
• Looking further: Market Saturdays continue through October. Garlic window runs to about Nov. 1.

✅ Your Weather, Garden & Farm Checklist for This Week

• ✅ Do outdoor work early and drink water in today’s near-89 heat.
• ✅ Pick all peppers and ripe or nearly ripe tomatoes today; let green ones ripen indoors.
• ✅ Dig any remaining sweet potatoes while the soil is warm.
• ✅ Get a free burn permit the day you burn — starting today. Skip windy Friday and Saturday.
• ✅ Stack limbs away from buildings and clear a dirt ring around the pile.
• ✅ Tie down light porch items before Friday’s front.
• ✅ Cover or bring in tender plants Saturday evening (near 38); keep covers handy Sunday night (near 40).
• ✅ Wear a windbreaker to Saturday’s market (~48° at 9 a.m.).
• ✅ Plant or water garlic; still in the window through Nov. 1.
• ✅ Take a soil sample to Extension, 170 Church St. (~$15 basic test).
• ✅ Count your hay by lot and call around now if you’ll need more.
• ✅ Mark any frost date; wait 10–14 days before grazing johnsongrass.

Practical rule: Enjoy the last warm afternoon, burn on a calm day with a permit, and tuck the garden in two nights running.

— Dunlap.Today

📚 Plain-English Weather, Garden & Farm Glossary

• Cold front: The leading edge of cooler, drier air. It often brings gusty wind and a quick drop in temperature.
• Record high: The warmest temperature ever measured at that weather station on that calendar date.
• Frost: Ice crystals that form on plants and grass on clear, calm, cold nights. It can form in low spots even when the official low is in the upper 30s.
• Floating row cover: A light, see-through garden cloth laid right on top of plants to hold warmth overnight.
• Burn permit: Free, one-day permission from the Tennessee Division of Forestry to burn debris, required Oct. 15–May 15.
• Burn restriction: A temporary pause on new burn permits when fire danger is high.
• Moderate / severe drought: U.S. Drought Monitor categories (D1 and D2) that describe how dry the land is compared with normal.
• Prussic acid: A poison released by frosted johnsongrass and sorghum-type grasses. It fades as the plants dry.
• Soil pH: How sour (acidic) or sweet (alkaline) your soil is. A soil test tells you whether to add lime.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need a permit to burn my brush pile now?

Yes. Starting today, Oct. 15, and through May 15, the state requires a free permit for leaf and brush piles. Get it online at BurnSafeTN.org (8 a.m.–11 p.m., seven days) or by calling 877-350-BURN (2876), weekdays 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central. It’s good for that day only. A covered burn barrel with a ½-inch mesh screen doesn’t need one.

Which day this week is best for burning?

Not Friday or Saturday — the forecast shows gusts near 25 to 30 mph. Sunday through Tuesday show light winds. Check the forecast that morning, get your permit, and remember the state may pause permits if fire danger rises.

Will it frost in Dunlap this weekend?

Possibly in low spots. Dunlap’s official Saturday-night low is near 38 and Sunday night near 40. NWS Morristown says frost is most likely farther northeast and at higher elevations. Cover tender plants Saturday evening to be safe.

How hot did it get yesterday?

Chattanooga’s airport reached 92 on Wednesday, a new record for Oct. 14 (the old record was 87 in 1954). Dunlap’s forecast for today is near 89.

Has the drought gotten better?

As of early this morning, the newest county numbers were still from the Oct. 6 map, with all of Sequatchie County in at least moderate drought. A new map normally posts Thursday morning. Chattanooga is about 2½ inches below normal rainfall since Sept. 1.

Is it too late to plant garlic?

No. UT says East Tennessee gardeners often plant through Nov. 1. Plant large cloves 1 to 1½ inches deep and water them in.

What time does the market open Saturday, and how cold will it be?

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Harris Park. The hourly forecast shows about 48 degrees at opening with a north breeze, reaching the mid-50s by noon. Confirm on the market’s Facebook page before you go.

🔗 Other Resources

• UT Extension Sequatchie County — 170 Church St., Dunlap · 423-949-2611
• National Weather Service: Dunlap forecast
• NWS Morristown Hazardous Weather Outlook
• NWS Morristown forecast discussion
• U.S. Drought Monitor
• TN Division of Forestry: Burn Permits · BurnSafeTN · 877-350-BURN (2876)
• UT: 2026 Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden calendar (W436)
• UT: Garlic for the Tennessee Vegetable Garden (D75)
• UT: Season extension and row covers
• UT Soil Lab: Garden Samples
• UT Beef & Forage Center: Prussic Acid After Frost
• USDA NASS Crop Progress (Oct. 13)
• Dunlap Farmers Market
• Dunlap.Today

🏡 One Last Warm Afternoon, Then Sweater Weather for Real

It has been a remarkable week — a record 92 in Chattanooga in the middle of October. Enjoy this last warm afternoon on the porch. Then let the front blow through, wrap up for Saturday’s market, and tuck the garden in for a couple of chilly nights. The burn pile will keep until a calm day.

When you want the next calm, practical update for Sequatchie Valley readers, pull up a chair at Dunlap.Today.