Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Summers, winters and rain in Fall Branch all run close to those of most U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 28°. July is the wettest month, October the driest. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Fall Branch at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fall Branch’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fall Branch’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Fall Branch feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingsport, TN, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fall Branch’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kingsport, TN, is heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 133 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fall Branch
76% 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 Kingsport, TN.
Living with Fall Branch’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 9 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fall Branch from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fall Branch and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fall Branch yet.
Climates most like Fall Branch’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Branch, TN | 28° | 85° | 46" | 5.1" |
| Rockville, MD | 25° | 86° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Dunn Loring, VA | 26° | 87° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Forked River, NJ | 26° | 85° | 46" | 10" |
| Penn Wynne, PA | 25° | 87° | 47" | 7.6" |
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 Fall Branch averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
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 Fall Branch compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fall Branch’s place among Tennessee’s.
Fall Branch weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fall Branch’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingsport, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 28° | 3.7" | 1.7" | 12 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 3.9" | 1.6" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 37° | 4.3" | 0.7" | 13 | 1 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 58° | 36° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 52° |
| December | 49° | 31° | 4.1" | 1.0" | 12 | 1 | 29° – 51° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 45.8" | 5.1" | 133 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fall Branch’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 Fall Branch’s center.
- Snow: Kingsport, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingsport, TN, 9 miles from the town’s center, 310 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 Fall Branch’s climate
What is the weather like in Fall Branch?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fall Branch in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Fall Branch get?
About 5.1 inches in a normal winter at Kingsport, TN, heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fall Branch?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Kingsport, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Fall Branch?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 203 frost-free days, at Kingsport, TN.
What growing zone is Fall Branch in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fall Branch?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fall Branch 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 Fall Branch.
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.