Photo: User:Dincher · CC BY-SA 3.0July in Knoxville stays fresher than in 91% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 15°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 66° apart. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 85% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Knoxville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Knoxville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Knoxville’s place in Pennsylvania beside it.
What a year in Knoxville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 144 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Addison, NY, 14 miles from the town’s center, 430 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Knoxville’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 49 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sabinsville 3 Se, PA, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 126 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Knoxville
95% 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 Addison, NY.
Living with Knoxville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
144 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 14 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Knoxville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (93%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 1%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Knoxville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Knoxville yet.
Climates most like Knoxville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville, PA | 15° | 80° | 38" | 49" |
| Cobleskill, NY | 13° | 81° | 40" | 54" |
| Oak Creek, WI | 16° | 81° | 34" | 49" |
| Hillsdale, MI | 16° | 82° | 38" | 44" |
| Park City, IL | 16° | 82° | 37" | 43" |
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 Knoxville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Knoxville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Knoxville’s place among Pennsylvania’s.
Knoxville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Knoxville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sabinsville 3 Se, PA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 15° | 2.4" | 10.6" | 13 | 21 | 13° – 32° |
| February | 35° | 16° | 1.9" | 10.5" | 10 | 17 | 11° – 33° |
| March | 43° | 22° | 2.7" | 10.6" | 10 | 16 | 26° – 45° |
| April | 57° | 32° | 3.2" | 2.4" | 10 | 2 | 39° – 50° |
| May | 69° | 42° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 51° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 56° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| August | 79° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 70° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 64° |
| October | 60° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 29° | 2.8" | 3.3" | 10 | 4 | 33° – 43° |
| December | 36° | 21° | 2.7" | 10.7" | 12 | 15 | 20° – 40° |
| Year | 57° | 35° | 38.0" | 48.7" | 126 | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Knoxville’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 Knoxville’s center.
- Snow: Sabinsville 3 Se, PA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Addison, NY, 14 miles from the town’s center, 430 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 Knoxville’s climate
What is the weather like in Knoxville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 49 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Knoxville in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 165 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Knoxville get?
About 49 inches in a normal winter at Sabinsville 3 Se, PA, most of it in January, February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 75 days a year.
How hot does it get in Knoxville?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 56°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Addison, NY).
When is the first and last frost in Knoxville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 144 frost-free days, at Addison, NY.
What growing zone is Knoxville in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Knoxville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Knoxville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Knoxville.
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.