Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0More precipitation falls on Harrogate than on 88% of U.S. towns: 52 inches a year
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. The wettest month is December; the driest is October. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 64% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 23; autumn frost returns near October 19.
A year in Harrogate at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Harrogate’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Harrogate’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Harrogate feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tazewell, TN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Harrogate’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tazewell, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 52 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October 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 Harrogate
84% 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 Tazewell, TN.
Living with Harrogate’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Harrogate from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Harrogate and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Harrogate yet.
Climates most like Harrogate’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrogate, TN | 26° | 86° | 52" | 7.9" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| La Grange, KY | 24° | 87° | 52" | 12" |
| Wayne, PA | 24° | 86° | 49" | 7.6" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
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 Harrogate averaged 0.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.2°).
A smaller shift than in all but 95 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 Harrogate compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Harrogate’s place among Tennessee’s.
Harrogate weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Harrogate’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tazewell, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 26° | 4.4" | 2.6" | 14 | 3 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 50° | 29° | 4.7" | 3.0" | 14 | 2 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 5.1" | 0.6" | 15 | 1 | 39° – 56° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 4.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 70° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| November | 58° | 34° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 39° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 29° | 5.4" | 1.4" | 15 | 2 | 29° – 49° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 51.7" | 7.9" | 151 | 8 |
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 49°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Harrogate’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 Harrogate’s center.
- Snow: Tazewell, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tazewell, TN, 9 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 Harrogate’s climate
What is the weather like in Harrogate?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Harrogate in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 115 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 26°.
How much snow does Harrogate get?
About 7.9 inches in a normal winter at Tazewell, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Harrogate?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Tazewell, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Harrogate?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 177 frost-free days, at Tazewell, TN.
What growing zone is Harrogate in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Harrogate?
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 Harrogate getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 95 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Harrogate.
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.