Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0Wet weather: 56 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Chattanooga, more than in 94% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 90°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 76% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about March 24, with the first autumn frost due around November 9.
A year in Chattanooga at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chattanooga’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chattanooga’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Chattanooga feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 230 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 24 and the first by November 9. Frost and day counts come from Chattanooga Lovell Airport, Chattanooga’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chattanooga’s center in zone 8a: 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chattanooga Lovell Airport, is heaviest from February through March, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 56 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 123 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chattanooga
61% 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 Chattanooga Lovell Airport.
Living with Chattanooga’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
230 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Mar 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, September and October. 181 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chattanooga from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chattanooga and its neighbors
Signal Mountain has the coldest January nights next door (29°, 2° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Chattanooga’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN | 31° | 90° | 56" | 3.6" |
| Holly Springs, MS | 31° | 90° | 58" | 2.3" |
| Winterville, NC | 33° | 90° | 53" | 3.3" |
| Mena, AR | 29° | 90° | 58" | 4.0" |
| Berea, SC | 32° | 89° | 56" | 1.9" |
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 Chattanooga averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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. In a city of 194,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Chattanooga compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chattanooga’s place among Tennessee’s.
Chattanooga weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chattanooga’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chattanooga Lovell Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 31° | 5.1" | 1.0" | 11 | 1 | 32° – 48° |
| February | 55° | 34° | 5.4" | 1.2" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 52° |
| March | 63° | 40° | 5.3" | 1.1" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 61° |
| April | 73° | 47° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| May | 80° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 87° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 61° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 49° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 66° |
| November | 62° | 39° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 55° |
| December | 53° | 34° | 5.4" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 35° – 53° |
| Year | 71° | 49° | 55.7" | 3.6" | 123 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Chattanooga’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 Chattanooga’s center.
- Snow: Chattanooga Lovell Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chattanooga Lovell Airport, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Chattanooga’s climate
What is the weather like in Chattanooga?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 31°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 74% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chattanooga in winter?
January nights average 31°. About 56 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Chattanooga get?
About 3.6 inches in a normal winter at Chattanooga Lovell Airport, heaviest from February through March, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chattanooga?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Chattanooga Lovell Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Chattanooga?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 24 and the first fall frost by November 9, about 230 frost-free days, at Chattanooga Lovell Airport.
What growing zone is Chattanooga in?
Zone 8a 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 Chattanooga?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Chattanooga getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chattanooga.
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.