Tennant’s winters are milder but snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Tennant at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tennant’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tennant’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Tennant feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 113 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 6 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA, 23 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tennant’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tennant
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA.
Living with Tennant’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
113 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Jun 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tennant from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tennant and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tennant yet.
Climates most like Tennant’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennant, CA | 25° | 82° | 25" | 43" |
| Moscow, ID | 25° | 84° | 25" | 51" |
| Liberty Lake, WA | 25° | 84° | 22" | 45" |
| Polson, MT | 20° | 83° | 19" | 34" |
| Ruidoso, NM | 22° | 82° | 20" | 26" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Tennant averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 64% of 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 Tennant compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tennant’s place among California’s.
Tennant weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tennant’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 25° | 3.9" | 8.7" | 11 | 28° – 40° |
| February | 45° | 26° | 3.5" | 9.3" | 9 | 28° – 43° |
| March | 49° | 28° | 3.3" | 6.9" | 11 | 32° – 45° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 2.1" | 4.0" | 10 | 36° – 48° |
| May | 64° | 37° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 7 | 42° – 58° |
| June | 72° | 43° | 1.0" | 0.1" | 6 | 53° – 66° |
| July | 82° | 51° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 3 | 58° – 71° |
| August | 82° | 49° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 61° – 70° |
| September | 75° | 43° | 0.5" | 0.0" | 3 | 55° – 64° |
| October | 62° | 35° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 5 | 44° – 53° |
| November | 48° | 29° | 2.7" | 5.0" | 9 | 29° – 44° |
| December | 41° | 24° | 4.1" | 7.9" | 8 | 29° – 37° |
| Year | 60° | 35° | 25.0" | 43.2" | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 42° to 58°. December is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Tennant’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 Tennant’s center.
- Snow: Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA, 23 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Tennant’s climate
What is the weather like in Tennant?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tennant in winter?
December nights average 24°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Tennant get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Tennant?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 51°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Tennant?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 6 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 113 frost-free days, at Lava Beds Nat Mon, CA.
What growing zone is Tennant in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tennant?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tennant getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tennant.
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.