Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0More precipitation falls on Tennyson than on 81% of U.S. towns: 49 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 67% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. Garden planting can start around April 12; autumn frost returns near October 25.
A year in Tennyson at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tennyson’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tennyson’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Tennyson feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Boonville 1s, IN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tennyson’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 Boonville 1s, IN, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tennyson
74% 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 Boonville 1s, IN.
Living with Tennyson’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tennyson from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tennyson and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tennyson yet.
Climates most like Tennyson’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennyson, IN | 24° | 88° | 49" | 11" |
| Collegeville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 13" |
| Aurora, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 12" |
| Paris, KY | 24° | 87° | 49" | 15" |
| Claymont, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
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 Tennyson averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Tennyson compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tennyson’s place among Indiana’s.
Tennyson weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tennyson’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Boonville 1s, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 24° | 3.4" | 3.4" | 9 | 4 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 27° | 3.4" | 3.2" | 9 | 4 | 26° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 35° | 4.6" | 1.6" | 11 | 1 | 39° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 4.1" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 52° |
| December | 46° | 29° | 4.1" | 2.7" | 10 | 3 | 24° – 47° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 49.1" | 11.3" | 112 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 47°. October is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Tennyson’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 Tennyson’s center.
- Snow: Boonville 1s, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Boonville 1s, IN, 9 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 Tennyson’s climate
What is the weather like in Tennyson?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tennyson in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 90 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Tennyson get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Boonville 1s, IN, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tennyson?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 41 days a year reach 90° (Boonville 1s, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Tennyson?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 196 frost-free days, at Boonville 1s, IN.
What growing zone is Tennyson in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tennyson?
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 Tennyson getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tennyson.
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.