Rhea County Courthouse · Photo: Calvin Beale · Public domainDayton is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 57 inches of precipitation a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 59° apart. Its January nights stay gentler than in 72% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to February, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Dayton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dayton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dayton’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Dayton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 208 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dayton 2se, TN, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dayton’s center in zone 7b: 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 2 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dayton 2se, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dayton
73% 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 Dayton 2se, TN.
Living with Dayton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
208 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 4 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dayton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dayton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dayton yet.
Climates most like Dayton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton, TN | 30° | 88° | 57" | 1.6" |
| Russellville, AL | 31° | 90° | 58" | 0.6" |
| Ripley, MS | 31° | 90° | 58" | 1.6" |
| Sans Souci, SC | 32° | 89° | 53" | 1.9" |
| Half Moon, NC | 33° | 89° | 57" | 0.6" |
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 Dayton averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Dayton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dayton’s place among Tennessee’s.
Dayton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dayton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dayton 2se, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 30° | 5.1" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 31° – 46° |
| February | 53° | 33° | 5.2" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 33° – 50° |
| March | 62° | 39° | 5.5" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 79° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 75° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| September | 83° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 37° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 51° | 32° | 6.0" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 33° – 53° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 57.1" | 1.6" | 128 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Dayton’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 Dayton’s center.
- Snow: Dayton 2se, TN (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dayton 2se, TN, 1.7 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 Dayton’s climate
What is the weather like in Dayton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 2 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dayton in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 72 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 31°.
How much snow does Dayton get?
About 1.6 inches in a normal winter at Dayton 2se, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dayton?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 33 days a year reach 90° (Dayton 2se, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Dayton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 208 frost-free days, at Dayton 2se, TN.
What growing zone is Dayton in?
Zone 7b 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 Dayton?
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 Dayton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dayton.
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.