Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Jellico’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Jellico at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Jellico’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Jellico’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Jellico 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 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Newcomb, TN, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Jellico’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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Williamsburg, KY, falls mostly in January. 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 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Jellico
80% 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 Newcomb, TN.
Living with Jellico’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7a. 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Jellico from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Jellico and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Jellico yet.
Climates most like Jellico’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jellico, TN | 26° | 85° | 55" | 11" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
| Tell City, IN | 26° | 87° | 50" | 11" |
| Lansdale, PA | 22° | 86° | 49" | 13" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
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 Jellico averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Jellico compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Jellico’s place among Tennessee’s.
Jellico weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Jellico’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williamsburg, KY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 26° | 4.7" | 4.1" | 13 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 49° | 30° | 4.9" | 2.6" | 12 | 2 | 28° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 5.3" | 2.0" | 13 | 1 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 68° | 43° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 52° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 61° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 40° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 30° | 5.4" | 2.5" | 12 | 2 | 29° – 50° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 54.5" | 11.2" | 129 | 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 50°. October is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Jellico’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 Jellico’s center.
- Snow: Williamsburg, KY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newcomb, TN, 3 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Jellico’s climate
What is the weather like in Jellico?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Jellico in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 107 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Jellico get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Williamsburg, KY, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Jellico?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Newcomb, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Jellico?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 187 frost-free days, at Newcomb, TN.
What growing zone is Jellico 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 Jellico?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Jellico getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Jellico.
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.