Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Knoxville gets more rain and snow than 92% of U.S. towns: 54 inches of precipitation a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 71% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.9° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Knoxville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Knoxville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Knoxville’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Knoxville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 198 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Knoxville Exp Stn, TN, 5 miles from the city’s center point, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Knoxville’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 8°. 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 Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 54 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 Knoxville
74% 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 Knoxville Exp Stn, TN.
Living with Knoxville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 91 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Knoxville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Knoxville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Knoxville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Knoxville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville, TN | 29° | 88° | 54" | 4.6" |
| Murray, KY | 27° | 89° | 54" | 6.5" |
| Suffolk, VA | 30° | 89° | 50" | 4.1" |
| Hiram, GA | 32° | 89° | 52" | 3.8" |
| Mount Airy, NC | 27° | 87° | 52" | 8.2" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Knoxville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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. In a city of 202,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Knoxville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Knoxville’s place among Tennessee’s.
Knoxville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Knoxville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 29° | 4.8" | 1.7" | 12 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 52° | 32° | 5.1" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 32° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 38° | 5.0" | 0.9" | 13 | 0 | 43° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| May | 79° | 56° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| August | 87° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 51° | 32° | 5.7" | 0.5" | 12 | 0 | 32° – 52° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 53.5" | 4.6" | 129 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 52°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Knoxville’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 Knoxville’s center.
- Snow: Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Knoxville Exp Stn, TN, 5 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Knoxville’s climate
What is the weather like in Knoxville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Knoxville in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 87 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Knoxville get?
About 4.6 inches in a normal winter at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Knoxville?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 36 days a year reach 90° (Knoxville Exp Stn, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Knoxville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 198 frost-free days, at Knoxville Exp Stn, TN.
What growing zone is Knoxville in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Knoxville?
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 Knoxville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Knoxville.
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.