Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Sylvania: 57 inches a year
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 56°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 73% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 8; in half of years the first frost comes by October 29.
A year in Sylvania at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sylvania’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sylvania’s place in Alabama beside it.
What a year in Sylvania feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Valley Head, AL, 11 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sylvania’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Valley Head, AL, is heaviest from February through March, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sylvania
73% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Valley Head, AL.
Living with Sylvania’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 8 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sylvania from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sylvania and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sylvania in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sylvania’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvania, AL | 31° | 87° | 57" | 5.0" |
| Marion, NC | 28° | 88° | 58" | 7.1" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| Pigeon Forge, TN | 29° | 89° | 55" | 3.6" |
| Murray, KY | 27° | 89° | 54" | 6.5" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sylvania averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in all but 146 U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Sylvania compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sylvania’s place among Alabama’s.
Sylvania weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sylvania’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Valley Head, AL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 31° | 5.5" | 1.0" | 12 | 1 | 32° – 47° |
| February | 54° | 34° | 5.2" | 1.3" | 12 | 1 | 35° – 53° |
| March | 62° | 40° | 5.5" | 1.4" | 12 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 71° | 47° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 73° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 39° | 4.8" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| December | 52° | 34° | 5.7" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 34° – 53° |
| Year | 70° | 49° | 57.2" | 5.0" | 125 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sylvania’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Sylvania’s center.
- Snow: Valley Head, AL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Valley Head, AL, 11 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Sylvania’s climate
What is the weather like in Sylvania?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sylvania in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 85 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Sylvania get?
About 5.0 inches in a normal winter at Valley Head, AL, heaviest from February through March, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sylvania?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Valley Head, AL).
When is the first and last frost in Sylvania?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 202 frost-free days, at Valley Head, AL.
What growing zone is Sylvania in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sylvania?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Sylvania getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 146 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sylvania.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.