Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Mountain City has cooler summers than 79% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 24°. It is a wet place: more rain and snow fall here than on 79% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Garden chairs stay out from May to October, the months with highs of 66–82°.
A year in Mountain City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mountain City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mountain City’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Mountain City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mtn City 2, TN, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mountain City’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mtn City 2, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; July is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mountain City
88% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mtn City 2, TN.
Living with Mountain City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mountain City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mountain City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mountain City yet.
Climates most like Mountain City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain City, TN | 24° | 82° | 49" | 12" |
| Cheat Lake, WV | 22° | 83° | 46" | 14" |
| Brigantine, NJ | 28° | 83° | 45" | 10" |
| Oyster Bay, NY | 25° | 84° | 46" | 19" |
| Greensburg, IN | 22° | 85° | 46" | 13" |
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 Mountain City averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Mountain City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mountain City’s place among Tennessee’s.
Mountain City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mountain City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mtn City 2, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 24° | 4.0" | 3.4" | 9 | 27° – 41° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 3.8" | 5.0" | 9 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 56° | 32° | 4.0" | 1.1" | 10 | 37° – 52° |
| April | 66° | 39° | 4.5" | 0.1" | 10 | 47° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 47° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 56° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 67° – 74° |
| August | 82° | 59° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 50° – 59° |
| November | 56° | 31° | 3.3" | 0.4" | 7 | 38° – 49° |
| December | 47° | 27° | 4.0" | 2.0" | 9 | 27° – 48° |
| Year | 65° | 41° | 48.6" | 12.0" | 114 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Mountain City’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 Mountain City’s center.
- Snow: Mtn City 2, TN (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mtn City 2, TN, 0.3 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 Mountain City’s climate
What is the weather like in Mountain City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mountain City in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 126 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Mountain City get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Mtn City 2, TN, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Mountain City?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Mtn City 2, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Mountain City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 170 frost-free days, at Mtn City 2, TN.
What growing zone is Mountain City in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mountain City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Mountain City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mountain City.
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.