Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY-SA 4.0Sewanee is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 65 inches of precipitation a year
Expect July afternoons of about 84°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 70% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.8° higher. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 2, with the first autumn frost due around November 4.
A year in Sewanee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sewanee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sewanee’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Sewanee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 216 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 2 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sewanee, TN, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sewanee’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 6°. 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 65 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October 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 Sewanee
78% 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 Sewanee, TN.
Living with Sewanee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
216 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 2 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 21 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sewanee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sewanee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sewanee yet.
Climates most like Sewanee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewanee, TN | 28° | 84° | 65" | 5.4" |
| Hendersonville, NC | 29° | 84° | 63" | 6.7" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| London, KY | 25° | 86° | 53" | 5.7" |
| Big Stone Gap, VA | 26° | 84° | 52" | 9.2" |
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 Sewanee averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Sewanee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sewanee’s place among Tennessee’s.
Sewanee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sewanee’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 | 46° | 28° | 5.9" | 1.5" | 13 | 1 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 5.7" | 1.9" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 38° | 6.0" | 0.8" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 47° | 6.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 56° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 62° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 84° | 66° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 71° – 78° |
| August | 84° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 64° |
| November | 58° | 38° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| December | 49° | 31° | 6.7" | 1.1" | 13 | 1 | 31° – 51° |
| Year | 67° | 47° | 64.9" | 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 31° to 51°. July is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Sewanee’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 Sewanee’s center.
- Snow: Monteagle, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sewanee, TN, 0.4 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 Sewanee’s climate
What is the weather like in Sewanee?
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 70% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sewanee in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 68 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Sewanee 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 Sewanee?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 66°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Sewanee, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Sewanee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 2 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 216 frost-free days, at Sewanee, TN.
What growing zone is Sewanee in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sewanee?
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 Sewanee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sewanee.
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.