Editing Oak Ridge, Tennessee (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Oak-ridge-summit-tn1.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|View from the Oak Ridge Summit, a barren knob on the north slope of Pine Ridge; East Fork Ridge is on the left, Blackoak Ridge spans the horizon.]]

Immediately northeast of Oak Ridge, the southwestward-flowing [[Clinch River]] bends sharply to the southeast for roughly {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} toward [[Solway, Tennessee|Solway]], where it turns again to the southwest. After flowing for approximately {{convert|17|mi|km}}, the river bends sharply to the northwest at Copper Ridge, and continues in this direction for nearly {{convert|7|mi|km}}. At the K-25 plant, the Clinch turns southwest again and flows for another {{convert|11|mi|km}} to its mouth along the [[Tennessee River]] at [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]]. This series of bends creates a half-rectangle formation—surrounded by water on the northeast, east, and southwest—in which Oak Ridge is situated.

The Oak Ridge area is striated by five [[Ridge|ridges]] that run roughly parallel to one another in a northeast-to-southwest direction. In order from west-to-east, the five ridges are Blackoak Ridge (which connects the Elza and K-25 bends of the Clinch and thus "walls off" the half-rectangle), East Fork Ridge, Pine Ridge, Chestnut Ridge, and Haw Ridge. The five ridges are divided by four valleys: East Fork Valley (between Blackoak Ridge and East Fork Ridge), Gamble Valley (between East Fork Ridge and Pine Ridge), Bear Creek Valley (between Pine Ridge and Chestnut Ridge), and Bethel Valley (between Chestnut and Haw). These ridges and valleys are part of the [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians]] physiographic province. The main section of the city is located in the northeast, where East Fork and Pine Ridge give way to low, scattered hills. Many of the city's residences are located along the relatively steep northeastern slope of Blackoak Ridge.

The completion of [[Melton Hill Dam]] (along the Clinch near Copper Ridge) in 1963 created Melton Hill Lake, which borders the city on the northeast and east. The lakefront on the east side of the city is a popular recreation area, with bicycling trails and picnic areas lining the shore. The lake is well known as a venue for [[rowing (sport)|rowing]] competitions. [[Watts Bar Lake]], an impoundment of the [[Tennessee River]] which covers the lower {{convert|23|mi|km}} of the Clinch, borders Oak Ridge to the south and southwest.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|233.0|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|220.8|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|12.2|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 5.25%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web |title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Oak Ridge city, Tennessee |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4755120 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212195629/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4755120 |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=January 28, 2013 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder}}</ref> The highest point is Melton Hill  ({{coord|35.90962|-84.30525}}) on the DOE reservation, at elevation {{convert|1356|ft}}.

===Climate===
Like much of the rest of the state, Oak Ridge has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]]); it is part of USDA [[hardiness zone]] 7a.<ref>{{cite web |author=United States Department of Agriculture |authorlink=United States Department of Agriculture |title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |url=http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303152208/http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-ne1.html |archivedate=March 3, 2015 |accessdate=March 2, 2015 |publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]]}}</ref> The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from {{convert|37.9|F|1}} in January to {{convert|77.5|F|1}} in July, while on average there are 4.3 days where the temperature stays at or below freezing and 39 days with a high at or above {{convert|90|F|0}} per year.<ref name="NOAA" /><ref name="NOAA KOQT" /> The all-time record low is {{convert|−17|F|0}}, set on January 21, 1985, while the all-time record high is {{convert|105|F|0}}, set on June 30, 2012, and July 28, 1952.<ref name="NOAA" /> However, temperatures reaching either {{convert|0|F|0}} or {{convert|100|F|0}} are uncommon, having last occurred February 5, 1996 (the date of the all-time record low for February) and July 1, 2012.<ref name="NOAA" />

Precipitation averages {{convert|59.70|in|mm}} annually and reaches a low during late summer. The rainiest calendar day on record is August 10, 1960, when {{convert|7.45|in|mm}} of rain fell; monthly precipitation has ranged from trace amounts in October 1963 to {{convert|19.27|in|mm}} in July 1967.<ref name="NOAA" />

{{Weather box
| location = Oak Ridge (Atmospheric Turbulence & Diffusion Division), Tennessee (1991–2020 normals,{{efn|Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1947–present)
| single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 76
| Feb record high F = 82
| Mar record high F = 86
| Apr record high F = 92
| May record high F = 96
| Jun record high F = 105
| Jul record high F = 105
| Aug record high F = 103
| Sep record high F = 102
| Oct record high F = 98
| Nov record high F = 85
| Dec record high F = 78
| year record high F = 105
| Jan avg record high F = 67.3
| Feb avg record high F = 71.2
| Mar avg record high F = 79.4
| Apr avg record high F = 86.0
| May avg record high F = 89.6
| Jun avg record high F = 93.8
| Jul avg record high F = 96.0
| Aug avg record high F = 94.8
| Sep avg record high F = 92.5
| Oct avg record high F = 84.6
| Nov avg record high F = 75.3
| Dec avg record high F = 67.4
| year avg record high F = 96.8
| Jan high F = 46.6
| Feb high F = 51.4
| Mar high F = 60.7
| Apr high F = 70.4
| May high F = 77.7
| Jun high F = 84.0
| Jul high F = 87.0
| Aug high F = 86.6
| Sep high F = 81.0
| Oct high F = 71.0
| Nov high F = 58.9
| Dec high F = 49.3
| year high F = 68.7
| Jan mean F = 37.9
| Feb mean F = 41.7
| Mar mean F = 49.7
| Apr mean F = 58.6
| May mean F = 66.9
| Jun mean F = 74.1
| Jul mean F = 77.5
| Aug mean F = 76.8
| Sep mean F = 70.8
| Oct mean F = 59.7
| Nov mean F = 48.1
| Dec mean F = 40.9
| year mean F = 58.6
| Jan low F = 29.2
| Feb low F = 32.1
| Mar low F = 38.7
| Apr low F = 46.8
| May low F = 56.1
| Jun low F = 64.1
| Jul low F = 68.1
| Aug low F = 67.0
| Sep low F = 60.6
| Oct low F = 48.4
| Nov low F = 37.3
| Dec low F = 32.4
| year low F = 48.4
| Jan avg record low F = 11.3
| Feb avg record low F = 16.2
| Mar avg record low F = 22.4
| Apr avg record low F = 31.5
| May avg record low F = 41.0
| Jun avg record low F = 53.7
| Jul avg record low F = 60.4
| Aug avg record low F = 59.3
| Sep avg record low F = 47.4
| Oct avg record low F = 33.2
| Nov avg record low F = 23.8
| Dec avg record low F = 17.7
| year avg record low F = 8.7
| Jan record low F = −17
| Feb record low F = −13
| Mar record low F = 1
| Apr record low F = 20
| May record low F = 30
| Jun record low F = 39
| Jul record low F = 49
| Aug record low F = 50
| Sep record low F = 33
| Oct record low F = 21
| Nov record low F = 0
| Dec record low F = −7
| year record low F = -17
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 5.50
| Feb precipitation inch = 5.93
| Mar precipitation inch = 5.55
| Apr precipitation inch = 5.58
| May precipitation inch = 4.50
| Jun precipitation inch = 4.76
| Jul precipitation inch = 5.90
| Aug precipitation inch = 3.72
| Sep precipitation inch = 4.13
| Oct precipitation inch = 3.29
| Nov precipitation inch = 5.00
| Dec precipitation inch = 5.84
| year precipitation inch = 59.70
| Jan snow inch = 1.8
| Feb snow inch = 1.4
| Mar snow inch = 0.6
| Apr snow inch = 0.0
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.0
| Nov snow inch = 0.0
| Dec snow inch = 0.6
| year snow inch = 4.4
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days = 11.9
| Feb precipitation days = 11.7
| Mar precipitation days = 12.3
| Apr precipitation days = 11.0
| May precipitation days = 12.0
| Jun precipitation days = 12.3
| Jul precipitation days = 12.5
| Aug precipitation days = 10.0
| Sep precipitation days = 8.2
| Oct precipitation days = 8.4
| Nov precipitation days = 9.2
| Dec precipitation days = 12.2
| year precipitation days = 131.7
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days = 1.2
| Feb snow days = 1.1
| Mar snow days = 0.4
| Apr snow days = 0.0
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.0
| Nov snow days = 0.0
| Dec snow days = 0.6
| year snow days = 3.3
| source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name = NOAA>{{cite web
| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx
| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| access-date = May 29, 2021
| archive-date = November 16, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116080734/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mrx
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref name="NOAA KOQT">
{{cite web
| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00003841&format=pdf
| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| title = Station: Oak Ridge ATDD, TN
| access-date = May 29, 2021}}</ref>
}}