Jefferson City, TN Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Jefferson City's primary NOAA station, JEFFERSON CITY.
The climate verdict for Jefferson City
Water is the standout signal in Jefferson City, Tennessee: 48.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 56°F. It scores 79/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 76% of them.
- 56°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 79/100
- comfort score, above 76% of station-mapped location scores
- 48.5"
- annual precipitation · 3" snow
- 176 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Jefferson City: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00404613 · Jefferson City, TN 56°F mean · 48.5" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,322
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Elizabethton
- PRCP-MID 48.5"
- SWING-MID 39°F
- COMF-TOP 79/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,338 HDD
- STN-1 USC00404613
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Elizabethton, TN (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every TN station list.
- Jefferson City (this station) 56°F
- Hot Skyline, KY 56°F
- Near Elizabethton, TN 56°F
- Near Newcomb, TN 56°F
- Near Martinsville Fl…, VA 56°F
Climate Living Index · Jefferson City
Jefferson City: 60/100 · grade C
Jefferson City publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Jefferson City, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 79/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Snowfall burden | 3.0 inches/year | 74/100 · B |
| Annual temperature balance | 55.9°F · 11.6° from 67.5°F | 62/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 126 calendar days | 61/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 48.5 in · 13.5 from 35 in | 52/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 176 days/year | 47/100 · D |
Jefferson City · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Jefferson City is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 35.9°F and warmest-month mean 75.0°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Cfa
- Group
- Temperate
- Warmest month
- 75.0°F
- Coldest month
- 35.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Jefferson City sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Jefferson City's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 63rd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 23% wettest
- Jefferson City's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 32nd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Jefferson City compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Jefferson City's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
79 Top 24% score exceeds 76% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F (9°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 4.1" | 1.3" | 21.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 51°F (11°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 4.5" | 1.5" | 18.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 61°F (16°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 70°F (21°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 4.6" | 0.0" | 5.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 78°F (26°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 4.1" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| June | 84°F (29°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.9 |
| July | 87°F (31°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 5.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.1 |
| August | 87°F (30°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.8 |
| September | 82°F (28°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 3.3" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 3.1 |
| October | 71°F (22°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 2.7" | 0.0" | 5.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 60°F (16°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.4" | 0.1" | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 50°F (10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 4.5" | 0.1" | 22.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 11, short of 90°F on every date, while 126 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 24°F near January 16.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 18, then returns to freezing around November 14, covering 126 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is March 16, when 36% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 12 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 113 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Jefferson City.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 1.3"
9.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.5"
9.7 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
10.5 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
7.2 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
8.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.4 days with precipitation
Jefferson City spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 26% of the annual total and December through February 27%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Jefferson City has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 39.1°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: July averages 5.0" and October 2.7". The three wettest months together take 30% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Jefferson City, it arrives in quantity
48.5" of precipitation falls across only about 113 wet days here, averaging 0.43 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 113 a year, 31% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.43 inches
- Most wet days
- March, about 11
- Fewest wet days
- October, about 7
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Snow reaches Jefferson City, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 3.0 inches of snow a year here, most likely in February. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 2 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 17
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 24
50% probability date
Growing Season
176 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,338
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,042
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside TN closest to Jefferson City on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (56°F here).
- Beltsville, MD 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Chanute, KS 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Dodge City, KS 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Groveland, CA 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (48.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Sedro-woolley, WA 48.5" · 0.0" off
- Bamberg, SC 48.5" · 0.0" off
- Hartsville, SC 48.5" · 0.0" off
- Hawkinsville, GA 48.5" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Jefferson City's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
Jefferson City's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,338 annual heating degree days against 1,042 for cooling. Its 39.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Jefferson City's frost-free season lasts about 176 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Jefferson City's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 39.1°F. The annual average is 56°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, Jefferson City carries 48.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 3.0 inches. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Jefferson City's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Jefferson City, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Jefferson City's climate
How much rain does Jefferson City get? ▼
How cold does Jefferson City get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Jefferson City? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Jefferson City's primary station: JEFFERSON CITY (USC00404613). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 4737960). Match rule for Jefferson City: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Jefferson City comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.