No extremes in Sullivan Gardens: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 28°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Sullivan Gardens at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sullivan Gardens’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sullivan Gardens’ place in Tennessee beside it.
What a year in Sullivan Gardens feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingsport, TN, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sullivan Gardens’ 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 Kingsport, TN, is heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; July is the wettest month and October the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 133 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sullivan Gardens
76% 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 Kingsport, TN.
Living with Sullivan Gardens’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Apr 9 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sullivan Gardens from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (80%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sullivan Gardens and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sullivan Gardens in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sullivan Gardens’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan Gardens, TN | 28° | 87° | 45" | 5.1" |
| Bethesda, MD | 26° | 87° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Idylwood, VA | 26° | 87° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Roxboro, NC | 28° | 88° | 46" | 3.4" |
| Penn Wynne, PA | 25° | 87° | 47" | 7.6" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Sullivan Gardens averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
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 Sullivan Gardens compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sullivan Gardens’ place among Tennessee’s.
Sullivan Gardens weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sullivan Gardens’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingsport, TN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 28° | 3.7" | 1.7" | 12 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 31° | 3.9" | 1.6" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| March | 60° | 37° | 4.3" | 0.7" | 13 | 1 | 42° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 44° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 53° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 72° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 80° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| November | 59° | 35° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| December | 50° | 30° | 4.2" | 1.0" | 12 | 1 | 30° – 51° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 45.4" | 5.1" | 133 | 4 |
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°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Sullivan Gardens’ 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 Sullivan Gardens’ center.
- Snow: Kingsport, TN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingsport, TN, 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 Sullivan Gardens’ climate
What is the weather like in Sullivan Gardens?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, 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; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sullivan Gardens in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 83 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Sullivan Gardens get?
About 5.1 inches in a normal winter at Kingsport, TN, heaviest from January through February, about 2 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sullivan Gardens?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Kingsport, TN).
When is the first and last frost in Sullivan Gardens?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 203 frost-free days, at Kingsport, TN.
What growing zone is Sullivan Gardens 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 Sullivan Gardens?
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 Sullivan Gardens 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 Sullivan Gardens.
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.