Dresden, Tennessee climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Dresden's normal year runs from 27°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 53.6 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.4 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.8°C, January lows of −3°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,360 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDresden
- Station IDUSC00402600
- Location36.28°N 88.71°W
- Elevation450 ft (137 m)
- Population2,930
On October 22, the normal high in Dresden is 69°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Dresden.
- Jan 46° 27°
- Feb 50° 30°
- Mar 60° 38°
- Apr 70° 47°
- May 78° 57°
- Jun 85° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 88° 68°
- Sep 82° 60°
- Oct 72° 48°
- Nov 59° 38°
- Dec 49° 31°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Dresden each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 27°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.91 in), the least in August (3.19 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 27°F | 36.4°F | 3.88 | 10 | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| February | 50°F | 30°F | 40.3°F | 4.80 | 9 | <1 | 18 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 38°F | 48.9°F | 4.84 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 47°F | 58.6°F | 5.08 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 57°F | 67.5°F | 5.91 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 65°F | 75.4°F | 4.61 | 10 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 88°F | 69°F | 78.8°F | 4.45 | 9 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 88°F | 68°F | 77.8°F | 3.19 | 7 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 60°F | 71.3°F | 3.89 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 48°F | 59.8°F | 3.64 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 38°F | 48.4°F | 4.31 | 9 | <1 | 9 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 49°F | 31°F | 39.7°F | 4.96 | 9 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 48°F | 58.6°F | 53.56 | 111 | 38 | 82 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −3°C | 2.4°C | 99 mm |
| February | 10°C | −1°C | 4.6°C | 122 mm |
| March | 15°C | 3°C | 9.4°C | 123 mm |
| April | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 129 mm |
| May | 25°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 150 mm |
| June | 30°C | 19°C | 24.1°C | 117 mm |
| July | 31°C | 21°C | 26.0°C | 113 mm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.4°C | 81 mm |
| September | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 99 mm |
| October | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 92 mm |
| November | 15°C | 3°C | 9.1°C | 109 mm |
| December | 9°C | −1°C | 4.3°C | 126 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00402600; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Dresden?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00402600.
When is the last frost in Dresden?
In Dresden, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 3 in half of years and after April 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 1 in half of years and before October 21 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 31 year in 10 after April 20; 9 in 10 after March 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 11 year in 10 before October 21; 9 in 10 before November 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 212 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 234 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 23 in half of springs and before November 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Dresden in zone 7b in ZIP code 38225, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Dresden's NOAA station is in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 6°F (27 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Tennessee · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00402600; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Dresden?
In a normal year in Dresden, 38 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 82 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 111 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 38a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 82a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 10high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 111a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1957) is 104°F, on June 30, 2012; the lowest is −17°F, on January 24, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 71.87 in; the snowiest season is 1967–68, with 31.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00402600; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00402600. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Dresden?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Dresden, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 2.3 |
| February | 63% | 2.8 |
| March | 68% | 3.9 |
| April | 74% | 5.2 |
| May | 75% | 5.8 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.2 |
| August | 82% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.6 |
| November | 73% | 2.6 |
| December | 65% | 2.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Dresden need?
A normal year in Dresden brings 3,899 heating degree days, 27% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,581 cooling degree days, 74% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,589 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 887 | 0 |
| February | 691 | 0 |
| March | 508 | 7 |
| April | 230 | 38 |
| May | 61 | 137 |
| June | 4 | 314 |
| July | 0 | 426 |
| August | 1 | 397 |
| September | 25 | 213 |
| October | 206 | 44 |
| November | 502 | 4 |
| December | 786 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,899 | 1,581 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00402600. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Dresden's climate compare?
Dresden is warmer than 65 of the other 115 places with their own NOAA record in Tennessee, and wetter than 24. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 58.6°F is warmer than 71%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Dresden is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Dresden share this climate record?
4 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Greenfield, TN2,017 people · 10 mi SW
- Gleason, TN1,363 people · 7 mi SE
- Sharon, TN914 people · 7 mi SW
- Palmersville, TN136 people · 11 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Dresden's climate
What is the coldest month in Dresden?
January, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 27°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Dresden?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.4 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month in Dresden?
May, with 5.91 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is August with 3.19 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Dresden in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Dresden in zone 7b in ZIP code 38225, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Dresden's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 6°F (27 years, 1991-2020): zone 7b.
How late can frost come in Dresden?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 3; in one year in ten it comes after April 20. Waiting until April 20 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Tennessee climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Martin, TN10 miles from this station, 58.9°F a year
- Union City, TN20 miles from this station, 57.9°F a year
- Paris, TN23 miles from this station, 58.0°F a year
- Milan, TN24 miles from this station, 59.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made