Rockwood, Tennessee climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rockwood's normal year runs from 28°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 60.5 inches of precipitation and 2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.2°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,536 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRockwood 2
- Station IDUSC00407834
- Location35.84°N 84.69°W
- Elevation767 ft (234 m)
- Population5,684
On October 23, the normal high in Rockwood is 68°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rockwood.
- Jan 47° 28°
- Feb 51° 30°
- Mar 61° 36°
- Apr 70° 44°
- May 78° 53°
- Jun 85° 62°
- Jul 88° 66°
- Aug 87° 65°
- Sep 82° 58°
- Oct 71° 46°
- Nov 59° 35°
- Dec 50° 30°
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 Rockwood each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 28°F. The most precipitation falls in December (6.01 in), the least in October (3.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 28°F | 37.2°F | 5.41 | 0.7 | 10 | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| February | 51°F | 30°F | 40.4°F | 5.43 | 1.2 | 9 | <1 | 19 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 61°F | 36°F | 48.5°F | 5.46 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 44°F | 56.9°F | 5.63 | 0.0 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 53°F | 65.4°F | 4.73 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 85°F | 62°F | 73.3°F | 5.46 | 0.0 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 88°F | 66°F | 76.8°F | 5.96 | 0.0 | 11 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 87°F | 65°F | 75.7°F | 3.82 | 0.0 | 9 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 82°F | 58°F | 70.1°F | 4.45 | 0.0 | 8 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 46°F | 58.4°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 59°F | 35°F | 47.1°F | 4.62 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 50°F | 30°F | 40.1°F | 6.01 | 0.1 | 10 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 69°F | 46°F | 57.5°F | 60.46 | 2.0 | 113 | 32 | 93 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −2°C | 2.9°C | 137 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 11°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 138 mm | 3 cm |
| March | 16°C | 2°C | 9.2°C | 139 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 21°C | 6°C | 13.8°C | 143 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 120 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 22.9°C | 139 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 19°C | 24.9°C | 151 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 24.3°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 15°C | 21.2°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 2°C | 8.4°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 10°C | −1°C | 4.5°C | 153 mm | 0 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00407834; 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 Rockwood?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00407834.
When is the last frost in Rockwood?
In Rockwood, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 8 in half of years and after April 26 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 31 in half of years and before October 18 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 81 year in 10 after April 26; 9 in 10 after March 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 311 year in 10 before October 18; 9 in 10 before November 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 203 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 227 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 27 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rockwood in zone 7a in ZIP code 37854, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Tennessee · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00407834; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Rockwood?
In a normal year in Rockwood, 32 days a year reach 90°F, 93 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 113 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 32a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 93a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 113a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1962) is 107°F, on July 17, 1980; the lowest is −12°F, on January 31, 1966.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 83.89 in; the snowiest season is 1992–93, with 18.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00407834; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00407834. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Rockwood?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rockwood, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (79%) and February the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 2.4 |
| February | 63% | 2.9 |
| March | 68% | 4.0 |
| April | 75% | 5.3 |
| May | 76% | 5.9 |
| June | 79% | 6.3 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.8 |
| November | 75% | 2.8 |
| December | 65% | 2.1 |
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 Rockwood need?
A normal year in Rockwood brings 3,972 heating degree days, 26% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,266 cooling degree days, 39% 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 4,116 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 862 | 0 |
| February | 689 | 0 |
| March | 515 | 1 |
| April | 258 | 15 |
| May | 81 | 94 |
| June | 8 | 256 |
| July | 0 | 367 |
| August | 0 | 332 |
| September | 22 | 175 |
| October | 229 | 24 |
| November | 538 | 1 |
| December | 772 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,972 | 1,266 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00407834. 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 Rockwood's climate compare?
Rockwood is warmer than 35 of the other 115 places with their own NOAA record in Tennessee, and wetter than 99. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.5°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rockwood 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.
Questions about Rockwood's climate
What is the coldest month in Rockwood?
January, with a normal high of 47°F and a normal low of 28°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Rockwood?
Yes: 2 inches in a normal year, falling on 1 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (1.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Rockwood?
December, with 6.01 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 3.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rockwood in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rockwood in zone 7a in ZIP code 37854, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Rockwood?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 8; in one year in ten it comes after April 26. Waiting until April 26 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Tennessee climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Kingston, TN9 miles from this station, 58.4°F a year
- Decatur, TN14 miles from this station, 58.4°F a year
- Spring City, TN14 miles from this station, 57.3°F a year
- Lancing (6 mi NW), TN22 miles from this station, 55.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made