Photo: Mrostrichman · CC BY-SA 4.0For weather, Nashville is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 23° on average. Precipitation peaks in May and eases off in February. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 66% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 7 to October 26.
A year in Nashville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Nashville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Nashville’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Nashville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Nashville 1 E, IL, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Nashville’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Nashville 1 E, IL, is heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Nashville
79% 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 Nashville 1 E, IL.
Living with Nashville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 7 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Nashville from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Nashville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Nashville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Nashville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, IL | 23° | 88° | 44" | 12" |
| Springfield, MO | 23° | 88° | 45" | 14" |
| Lake of the Woods, VA | 25° | 88° | 44" | 11" |
| Hurricane, WV | 25° | 87° | 44" | 11" |
| Collegeville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 13" |
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 Nashville averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Nashville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Nashville’s place among Illinois’.
Nashville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Nashville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Nashville 1 E, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 2.8" | 3.7" | 8 | 7 | 25° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 27° | 2.4" | 3.7" | 7 | 4 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 35° | 3.8" | 1.2" | 10 | 1 | 37° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 36° | 3.9" | 0.5" | 9 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 2.9" | 2.5" | 9 | 3 | 21° – 44° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 44.3" | 11.7" | 103 | 15 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Nashville’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 Nashville’s center.
- Snow: Nashville 1 E, IL (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Nashville 1 E, IL, 1.7 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 Nashville’s climate
What is the weather like in Nashville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Nashville in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 94 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Nashville get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Nashville 1 E, IL, heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 15 days a year.
How hot does it get in Nashville?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Nashville 1 E, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Nashville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 7 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 201 frost-free days, at Nashville 1 E, IL.
What growing zone is Nashville in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Nashville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Nashville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Nashville.
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.