Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect more precipitation than Spencer: 59 inches a year
In January the night’s low is typically 28°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Spencer at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Spencer’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Spencer’s place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Spencer feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fall Creek Falls Sp, TN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Spencer’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 Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 59 inches a year; December is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 135 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Spencer
84% 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 Fall Creek Falls Sp, TN.
Living with Spencer’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Spencer from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Spencer and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Spencer yet.
Climates most like Spencer’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer, TN | 28° | 85° | 59" | 5.0" |
| Etowah, NC | 27° | 84° | 61" | 6.7" |
| Big Stone Gap, VA | 26° | 84° | 52" | 9.2" |
| Travelers Rest, SC | 32° | 88° | 60" | 1.9" |
| Nicholasville, KY | 25° | 86° | 50" | 10" |
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 Spencer averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Spencer compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Spencer’s place among Tennessee’s.
Spencer weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Spencer’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 28° | 5.2" | 1.5" | 13 | 1 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 31° | 5.2" | 2.5" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| March | 58° | 38° | 5.5" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 46° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 57° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 37° | 4.6" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 6.0" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 30° – 51° |
| Year | 67° | 47° | 59.1" | 5.0" | 135 | 2 |
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 Spencer’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 Spencer’s center.
- Snow: Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fall Creek Falls Sp, TN, 9 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 Spencer’s climate
What is the weather like in Spencer?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, 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 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Spencer in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 100 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 29°.
How much snow does Spencer get?
About 5.0 inches in a normal winter at Sparta Wastewater Plant, TN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Spencer?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Fall Creek Falls Sp, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Spencer?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 180 frost-free days, at Fall Creek Falls Sp, TN.
What growing zone is Spencer 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 Spencer?
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 Spencer getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Spencer.
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.