Tennessee Climate

Tennessee experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot and humid summers and generally mild winters. In the summer months, temperatures can reach the 90s Fahrenheit, while in the winter they usually don’t dip below freezing. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, making Tennessee an ideal place for growing crops and flowers. The state also experiences four distinct seasons, allowing it to enjoy colorful foliage in fall and snow capped mountains in winter. Additionally, tornados occasionally occur in certain parts of Tennessee during spring months. Overall, Tennessee’s climate is temperate and pleasant enough to attract visitors year-round.

Tennessee, Tennessee gets 53 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Tennessee averages 5 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 207 sunny days per year in Tennessee. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Tennessee gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 116 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 88 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 27
Rain: averages 53 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 5 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

Tennessee's annual BestPlaces Comfort Index of 7.3 (10=best) indicates it is more comfortable than most states in the United States.

7.1 Summer - 6.2 Winter

September, May and October are the most pleasant months in the state of Tennessee, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Tennessee, Tennessee	United States
	52.8 in.	38.1 in.
	4.8 in.	27.8 in.
	116.1 days	106.2 days
	207 days	205 days
	88.3°	85.8°
	26.7°	21.7°
	7.3	7
	4.6	4.3
	982 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Tennessee with an average high temperature of 88.3°, which ranks it as warmer than most states. In Tennessee, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Tennessee are May, September and October.

Tennessee has 33.9 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most states in the U.S.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Tennessee with an average of 26.7°. This is warmer than most of the U.S. states.

Tennessee has 83.8 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most states in the U.S.

Tennessee averages 0.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is warmer than most states in the U.S.

The humidity can be uncomfortably heavy or close in the state of Tennessee during the summer months. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. July, August and June are the three most humid months in the state of Tennessee.

May is the wettest month in Tennessee with 5.3 inches of rain, and the driest month is October with 3.4 inches. The wettest season is Summer with 28% of yearly precipitation and 22% occurs in Winter, which is the driest season. Tennessee's average annual rainfall of 52.8 inches indicates that it is one of the wettest states in the United States.

May is the rainiest month in Tennessee with 11.0 days of rain, and September is the driest month with only 7.5 rainy days. Tennessee's annual average of 116.1 days with measurable rain is rainier than most states in the United States. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 21% chance of a rainy day.

With an average annual snowfall of 4.8 inches, Tennessee is one of the least snowy states in the United States. January is the snowiest month in Tennessee with 1.8 inches of snow, and 4 months of the year have significant snowfall.

Reviews for Tennessee

See all ()

Write a Review

Seth · Cookeville, TN

Downhill fast

Over 1 years ago

I was born and raised in this state but Tennessee is going downhill fast. First, you should be aware middle Tennessee is #1 in the nation for nighttime tornados. More

| Reply

Stacy · Carmel, NY

Advise on relocating to TN - outdoorsy/work please

Over 3 years ago

Some friends moved to Nashville and surrounding areas and love it.We enjoy visiting the area, but were trying to narrow down areas to relocate to in TN.We will be More

| Reply

nyi · Clifton, NJ

Looking for the opinions of lifetime Tennesseeans

Over 3 years ago

Let me start with a little bit about me. First off, I am a believer in the Lord Jesus.Second, I'm from the communist state of NJ. I live near Manhattan and I can't More