Knoxville weather in January: Knoxville, Tennessee: normal highs, lows, rain and records for January
Knoxville in January has a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 30°F, a daily mean of 39°F, holding near 48°F all month. Measurable precipitation falls on 12 days in a normal January, 4.76 inches in all. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a normal high of 9°C and low of −1°C, 121 mm of precipitation and 4 cm of snow in January.
- NOAA stationKnoxville Airport
- Station IDUSW00013891
- Location35.82°N 83.99°W
- Elevation962 ft (293 m)
- From the center11 miles
- Population198,722
- Jan 48° 30°
- Feb 53° 33°
- Mar 61° 40°
- Apr 71° 48°
- May 79° 57°
- Jun 86° 65°
- Jul 88° 69°
- Aug 88° 68°
- Sep 83° 61°
- Oct 72° 49°
- Nov 60° 38°
- Dec 51° 33°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
How warm is Knoxville in January?
The normal high is 48°F and the normal low 30°F, for a daily mean of 39.1°F. January is 2.8°F cooler than December and 3.8°F cooler than February. January is the 12th warmest month of the year in Knoxville and the 5th wettest, and the snowiest. Across the month the normal high rises 2°F, from 48°F on January 1 to 50°F on January 31. From one year to the next January's mean temperature typically moves about 4.2°F either way (NOAA's standard deviation), so roughly two Januarys in three average between 35°F and 43°F.
Bars above: each day's normal high to low. Columns below: the chance of 0.01 inch or more of precipitation that day, on a scale of 0 to 100% (highest 39%).
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% |
| January 8 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% |
| January 15 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% |
| January 22 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% |
| January 31 | 50°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% |
Every day of January: normal high, low and chance of precipitation (warmest afternoon January 31, coldest night January 17)
| Day | High | Low | Chance of 0.01 in | Chance of 0.10 in | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 2 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 3 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 4 | 48°F | 31°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 5 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 6 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 7 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 8 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 9 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 10 | 48°F | 30°F | 39% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 11 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 9 h 50 min |
| January 12 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 13 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 14 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 15 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 16 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 17 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 18 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 19 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h |
| January 20 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 21 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 22 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 23 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 24 | 48°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 25 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 26 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 10 min |
| January 27 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 28 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 29 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 30 | 49°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 20 min |
| January 31 | 50°F | 30°F | 38% | 25% | 10 h 20 min |
- Normal high
- 48°FJanuary average
- Normal low
- 30°FJanuary average
- Precipitation
- 4.76 inmonth total
- Days with precipitation
- 120.01 inch or more
- Snowfall
- 1.7 inmonth total
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 19
- Daylight
- 9 h 50 min to 10 h 20 minJanuary 1 to January 31
- Days at 70°F or more
- 1
- Sunshine
- 69%of clear-sky sunlight (NASA)
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily normals, station USW00013891; monthly normals. Daylight is computed from the place's latitude with NOAA's solar equations.
Does it rain or snow in Knoxville in January?
On a given January day the chance of 0.01 inch or more is 38% on average, highest around January 1 (39%). In all, 4.76 in falls on 12 days of a normal January, 1 of them with an inch or more.
In a normal January in Knoxville, 19 nights fall to freezing, 3 days stay below freezing all day and snowfall averages 1.7 inches.
Snow falls on 1 day in a normal January, and an inch or more covers the ground on 2 days.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 daily and monthly normals, station USW00013891.
How humid and windy is Knoxville in January?
At 3 p.m. the normal temperature is 47°F with 51% relative humidity and a dew point of 29°F; at 6 a.m. it is 35°F with 78% humidity. The wind averages 6.8 mph, most often from the west-southwest in the afternoon. A dew point under 50°F feels dry.
| Time | Temperature | Dew point | Humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 a.m. | 35°F | 28°F | 78% | 5.9 mph | 42% |
| 9 a.m. | 36°F | 29°F | 76% | 6.3 mph | 37% |
| noon | 43°F | 30°F | 60% | 8.2 mph | 37% |
| 3 p.m. | 47°F | 29°F | 51% | 8.7 mph | 38% |
| 6 p.m. | 45°F | 29°F | 54% | 7.0 mph | 40% |
| 9 p.m. | 41°F | 29°F | 63% | 6.0 mph | 46% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013891. Hourly normals exist only for NOAA's first-order stations; a dash where NOAA publishes no value for that hour (the sky at some hours).
What are the records for January in Knoxville?
The warmest January temperature on Knoxville's official record (since 1871) is 77°F, on January 25, 1950; the coldest is −24°F, on January 21, 1985. The wettest January brought 16.98 in (1882); the snowiest, 15.1 inches (1962).
The January mean against the 1991-2020 normal of 39.1°F: 2021 39.7°F (+0.6), 2022 36.5°F (−2.6), 2023 44.9°F (+5.8), 2024 36.3°F (−2.8), 2025 33.1°F (−6.0), 2026 39.0°F (−0.1). 2 of 6 ran warmer than normal.
| January | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39.7°F | +0.6°F | 2.66 in |
| 2022 | 36.5°F | −2.6°F | 5.74 in |
| 2023 | 44.9°F | +5.8°F | 6.23 in |
| 2024 | 36.3°F | −2.8°F | 6.21 in |
| 2025 | 33.1°F | −6.0°F | 2.92 in |
| 2026 | 39.0°F | −0.1°F | 3.87 in |
Source: records: ACIS, NWS threaded record TYSthr; recent months: ACIS, station USW00013891. Records and recent months use complete months only.
How does January in Knoxville compare across Tennessee?
Across the 116 places PlainClimate covers in Tennessee, January normal highs run from 43°F in Monterey to 52°F in Ardmore; Knoxville's is 48°F.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals for every station in the state.