Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0Few U.S. towns get more rain and snow than Palmer: 63 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 28° on average. By January nights alone, it runs milder than 69% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 21 to October 20.
A year in Palmer at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palmer’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palmer’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Palmer feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Coalmont, TN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palmer’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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Monteagle, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 63 inches a year; December is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 139 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Palmer
85% 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 Coalmont, TN.
Living with Palmer’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palmer from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palmer and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Palmer yet.
Climates most like Palmer’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer, TN | 28° | 84° | 63" | 5.4" |
| Hendersonville, NC | 29° | 84° | 63" | 6.7" |
| Big Stone Gap, VA | 26° | 84° | 52" | 9.2" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| Battle Ground, WA | 35° | 80° | 58" | 1.4" |
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 Palmer averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Palmer compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palmer’s place among Tennessee’s.
Palmer weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palmer’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Monteagle, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 5.9" | 1.5" | 13 | 1 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 5.7" | 1.9" | 12 | 1 | 29° – 48° |
| March | 58° | 38° | 5.9" | 0.8" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 57° |
| April | 67° | 46° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| May | 74° | 55° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 65° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 77° |
| August | 83° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 38° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 6.6" | 1.1" | 13 | 1 | 30° – 51° |
| Year | 66° | 47° | 63.2" | 5.4" | 139 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Palmer’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 Palmer’s center.
- Snow: Monteagle, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Coalmont, TN, 8 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 Palmer’s climate
What is the weather like in Palmer?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palmer in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 103 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 28°.
How much snow does Palmer get?
About 5.4 inches in a normal winter at Monteagle, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Palmer?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 65°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Coalmont, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Palmer?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 182 frost-free days, at Coalmont, TN.
What growing zone is Palmer 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 Palmer?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Palmer getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palmer.
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.