Photo: Adam Moss · CC BY-SA 2.0Midwinter lows in Tennessee sink below those of 75% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. A year here swings 68° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 62% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Tennessee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tennessee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tennessee’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Tennessee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at La Harpe, IL, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tennessee’s center in zone 6a: 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Macomb, IL, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tennessee
86% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at La Harpe, IL.
Living with Tennessee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 25% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tennessee from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tennessee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tennessee yet.
Climates most like Tennessee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee, IL | 17° | 85° | 40" | 11" |
| St. Marys, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 10" |
| Cameron, MO | 18° | 87° | 40" | 7.6" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
| Wheeling, WV | 22° | 84° | 42" | 15" |
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 Tennessee averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Tennessee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tennessee’s place among Illinois’.
Tennessee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tennessee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Macomb, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 17° | 1.7" | 3.2" | 8 | 6 | 18° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 21° | 1.9" | 3.5" | 8 | 4 | 17° – 41° |
| March | 51° | 31° | 2.5" | 0.6" | 9 | 1 | 33° – 54° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 4.0" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 52° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 51° | 33° | 2.6" | 0.8" | 8 | 1 | 34° – 51° |
| December | 38° | 23° | 2.0" | 2.0" | 8 | 2 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 39.5" | 10.5" | 109 | 13 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Tennessee’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 Tennessee’s center.
- Snow: Macomb, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: La Harpe, IL, 14 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 Tennessee’s climate
What is the weather like in Tennessee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tennessee in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Tennessee get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Macomb, IL, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 13 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tennessee?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (La Harpe, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Tennessee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 180 frost-free days, at La Harpe, IL.
What growing zone is Tennessee in?
Zone 6a 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 Tennessee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tennessee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tennessee.
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.