Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0Dowelltown gets more rain and snow than 93% of U.S. towns: 55 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 89° on average. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 72% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.7°, most of all in February. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Dowelltown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dowelltown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dowelltown’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Dowelltown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Smithville 2 Se, TN, 10 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dowelltown’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Smithville 2 Se, TN, is heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 55 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 140 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dowelltown
77% 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 Smithville 2 Se, TN.
Living with Dowelltown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 22.
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 Dowelltown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dowelltown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dowelltown yet.
Climates most like Dowelltown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dowelltown, TN | 28° | 89° | 55" | 3.1" |
| Mayfield, KY | 27° | 89° | 52" | 1.4" |
| Mena, AR | 29° | 90° | 58" | 4.0" |
| Berea, SC | 32° | 89° | 56" | 1.9" |
| Marion, NC | 28° | 88° | 58" | 7.1" |
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 Dowelltown averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Dowelltown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dowelltown’s place among Tennessee’s.
Dowelltown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dowelltown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Smithville 2 Se, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 28° | 4.8" | 1.1" | 14 | 1 | 30° – 46° |
| February | 53° | 31° | 4.9" | 1.1" | 13 | 1 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 38° | 5.2" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 43° – 59° |
| April | 71° | 45° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| May | 79° | 55° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 86° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| October | 73° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 37° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 52° | 31° | 5.6" | 0.6" | 14 | 0 | 31° – 52° |
| Year | 70° | 47° | 54.9" | 3.1" | 140 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 52°. July is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Dowelltown’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 Dowelltown’s center.
- Snow: Smithville 2 Se, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Smithville 2 Se, TN, 10 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Dowelltown’s climate
What is the weather like in Dowelltown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dowelltown in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 102 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Dowelltown get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Smithville 2 Se, TN, heaviest from January through February, about 1 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dowelltown?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Smithville 2 Se, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Dowelltown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 187 frost-free days, at Smithville 2 Se, TN.
What growing zone is Dowelltown in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dowelltown?
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 Dowelltown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dowelltown.
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.