Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Oak Ridge’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Oak Ridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oak Ridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oak Ridge’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Oak Ridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 210 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oak Ridge Atdd, TN, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oak Ridge’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 9°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Oak Ridge Atdd, TN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 132 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oak Ridge
73% 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 Oak Ridge Atdd, TN.
Living with Oak Ridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
210 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 5 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 53 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oak Ridge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oak Ridge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Oak Ridge yet.
Climates most like Oak Ridge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Ridge, TN | 29° | 88° | 57" | 4.4" |
| Murray, KY | 27° | 89° | 54" | 6.5" |
| Mena, AR | 29° | 90° | 58" | 4.0" |
| Harvest, AL | 30° | 89° | 58" | 1.1" |
| Douglasville, GA | 33° | 89° | 53" | 3.8" |
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 Oak Ridge averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Oak Ridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oak Ridge’s place among Tennessee’s.
Oak Ridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oak Ridge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Oak Ridge Atdd, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 29° | 5.1" | 1.8" | 12 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 52° | 32° | 5.4" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 61° | 39° | 5.4" | 0.6" | 12 | 0 | 43° – 60° |
| April | 71° | 46° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| August | 87° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| December | 51° | 32° | 6.1" | 0.6" | 12 | 0 | 32° – 52° |
| Year | 69° | 48° | 57.1" | 4.4" | 132 | 4 |
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 Oak Ridge’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 Oak Ridge’s center.
- Snow: Oak Ridge Atdd, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oak Ridge Atdd, TN, 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 Oak Ridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Oak Ridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 29°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oak Ridge in winter?
January nights average 29°. About 75 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Oak Ridge get?
About 4.4 inches in a normal winter at Oak Ridge Atdd, TN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oak Ridge?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 39 days a year reach 90° (Oak Ridge Atdd, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Oak Ridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 210 frost-free days, at Oak Ridge Atdd, TN.
What growing zone is Oak Ridge in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oak Ridge?
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 Oak Ridge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oak Ridge.
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.