Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Crab Orchard sits near the top of U.S. towns for precipitation, with 59 inches a year
January nights here settle around 27°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in December and the lightest in August. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside from April to October, when highs sit at 67–84°.
A year in Crab Orchard at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Crab Orchard’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Crab Orchard’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Crab Orchard feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Crossville Mem Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Crab Orchard’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Crossville Ed & Research, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 59 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 151 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Crab Orchard
83% 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 Crossville Mem Airport.
Living with Crab Orchard’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 16 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Crab Orchard from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Crab Orchard and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Crab Orchard yet.
Climates most like Crab Orchard’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard, TN | 27° | 84° | 59" | 14" |
| La Grange, KY | 24° | 87° | 52" | 12" |
| Marion, NC | 28° | 88° | 58" | 7.1" |
| Martinsville, NJ | 22° | 86° | 50" | 21" |
| Schuylkill Haven, PA | 20° | 84° | 51" | 21" |
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 Crab Orchard averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Crab Orchard compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Crab Orchard’s place among Tennessee’s.
Crab Orchard weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Crab Orchard’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Crossville Ed & Research, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 27° | 4.9" | 3.5" | 15 | 5 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 30° | 5.5" | 4.4" | 13 | 4 | 29° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 37° | 5.6" | 2.7" | 14 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 5.3" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 65° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 57° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 62° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 4.8" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 6.4" | 3.1" | 14 | 3 | 30° – 50° |
| Year | 66° | 46° | 59.1" | 14.1" | 151 | 14 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 50°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Crab Orchard’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 Crab Orchard’s center.
- Snow: Crossville Ed & Research, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Crossville Mem Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Crab Orchard’s climate
What is the weather like in Crab Orchard?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Crab Orchard in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 84 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Crab Orchard get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Crossville Ed & Research, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 14 days a year.
How hot does it get in Crab Orchard?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 65°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Crossville Mem Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Crab Orchard?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 189 frost-free days, at Crossville Mem Airport.
What growing zone is Crab Orchard 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 Crab Orchard?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Crab Orchard getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Crab Orchard.
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.