Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Griffith Creek: 65 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 28°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 56°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, the stretch from April to October brings highs of 67–84°.
A year in Griffith Creek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Griffith Creek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Griffith Creek’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Griffith Creek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Coalmont, TN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Griffith Creek’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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Whitwell-sequatchie Vly, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 65 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August 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 Griffith Creek
85% 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 Coalmont, TN.
Living with Griffith Creek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Griffith Creek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Griffith Creek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Griffith Creek yet.
Climates most like Griffith Creek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith Creek, TN | 28° | 84° | 65" | 3.1" |
| Hendersonville, NC | 29° | 84° | 63" | 6.7" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| London, KY | 25° | 86° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Battle Ground, WA | 35° | 80° | 58" | 1.4" |
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 Griffith Creek averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
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 Griffith Creek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Griffith Creek’s place among Tennessee’s.
Griffith Creek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Griffith Creek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Whitwell-sequatchie Vly, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 28° | 6.2" | 1.3" | 12 | 1 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 5.9" | 1.6" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| March | 58° | 38° | 6.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 46° | 6.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 56° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 81° | 62° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 65° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 59° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 38° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 49° | 31° | 6.9" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 30° – 51° |
| Year | 66° | 47° | 65.1" | 3.1" | 133 | 2 |
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 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Griffith Creek’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 Griffith Creek’s center.
- Snow: Whitwell-sequatchie Vly, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Coalmont, TN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 270 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 Griffith Creek’s climate
What is the weather like in Griffith Creek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 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 Griffith Creek in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 103 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Griffith Creek get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Whitwell-sequatchie Vly, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Griffith Creek?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 65°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Coalmont, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Griffith Creek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 182 frost-free days, at Coalmont, TN.
What growing zone is Griffith Creek 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 Griffith Creek?
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 Griffith Creek 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 Griffith Creek.
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.