Sewanee, Tennessee climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Sewanee's normal year runs from 29°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 64.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.1°C, January lows of −2°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,627 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSewanee
- Station IDUSC00408184
- Location35.20°N 85.92°W
- Elevation1,928 ft (588 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population (census place)3,000
On October 22, the normal high in Sewanee is 66°F and the normal low 48°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 29%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sewanee.
- Jan 45° 29°
- Feb 49° 32°
- Mar 58° 40°
- Apr 67° 48°
- May 74° 56°
- Jun 81° 63°
- Jul 84° 66°
- Aug 84° 66°
- Sep 78° 60°
- Oct 68° 50°
- Nov 58° 40°
- Dec 48° 33°
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 Sewanee each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 29°F. The most precipitation falls in April (6.41 in), the least in October (4.21 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 29°F | 37.2°F | 5.50 | 11 | <1 | 20 | 10 h |
| February | 49°F | 32°F | 40.6°F | 5.20 | 13 | <1 | 16 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 58°F | 40°F | 49.0°F | 5.38 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 48°F | 57.6°F | 6.41 | 10 | <1 | 2 | 13 h |
| May | 74°F | 56°F | 65.1°F | 4.91 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 81°F | 63°F | 71.9°F | 5.80 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 84°F | 66°F | 75.2°F | 5.59 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 84°F | 66°F | 74.6°F | 4.72 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 78°F | 60°F | 69.1°F | 5.09 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 50°F | 59.0°F | 4.21 | 9 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 40°F | 48.9°F | 4.86 | 9 | <1 | 6 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 48°F | 33°F | 40.6°F | 6.37 | 11 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 66°F | 49°F | 57.4°F | 64.04 | 129 | 9 | 68 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C | −2°C | 2.9°C | 140 mm |
| February | 10°C | 0°C | 4.8°C | 132 mm |
| March | 15°C | 4°C | 9.4°C | 137 mm |
| April | 20°C | 9°C | 14.2°C | 163 mm |
| May | 24°C | 13°C | 18.4°C | 125 mm |
| June | 27°C | 17°C | 22.2°C | 147 mm |
| July | 29°C | 19°C | 24.0°C | 142 mm |
| August | 29°C | 19°C | 23.7°C | 120 mm |
| September | 26°C | 16°C | 20.6°C | 129 mm |
| October | 20°C | 10°C | 15.0°C | 107 mm |
| November | 14°C | 5°C | 9.4°C | 123 mm |
| December | 9°C | 1°C | 4.8°C | 162 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Monteagle (5 miles away), gets 5 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00408184; 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 Sewanee?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, July, August, 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 USC00408184.
When is the last frost in Sewanee?
In Sewanee, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 2 in half of years and after April 18 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 4 in half of years and before October 22 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 21 year in 10 after April 18; 9 in 10 after March 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 41 year in 10 before October 22; 9 in 10 before November 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 216 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 238 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 23 in half of springs and before November 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sewanee in zone 7b in ZIP code 37383, 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 USC00408184; 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 Sewanee?
In a normal year in Sewanee, 9 days a year reach 90°F, 68 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 129 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 68a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 11high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 129a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00408184.
How sunny is Sewanee?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Sewanee, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (79%) and February the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 2.3 |
| February | 62% | 2.9 |
| March | 68% | 4.0 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 75% | 5.8 |
| June | 79% | 6.3 |
| July | 78% | 6.0 |
| August | 79% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.8 |
| October | 76% | 3.7 |
| November | 74% | 2.8 |
| 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 Sewanee need?
A normal year in Sewanee brings 3,865 heating degree days, 28% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,118 cooling degree days, 23% 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 4,084 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 862 | 0 |
| February | 683 | 0 |
| March | 500 | 4 |
| April | 242 | 20 |
| May | 86 | 87 |
| June | 6 | 213 |
| July | 0 | 315 |
| August | 1 | 298 |
| September | 32 | 153 |
| October | 212 | 26 |
| November | 485 | 2 |
| December | 756 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,865 | 1,118 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00408184. 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.
Has Sewanee been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 58.8°F, 1.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 57.4°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58.3°F | +0.9°F | 76.07 |
| 2022 | 57.8°F | +0.4°F | 63.93 |
| 2023 | 59.5°F | +2.1°F | 68.91 |
| 2024 | 60.2°F | +2.8°F | 68.90 |
| 2025 | 58.8°F | +1.4°F | 72.05 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00408184. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Sewanee's climate compare?
Sewanee is warmer than 31 of the other 115 places with their own NOAA record in Tennessee, and wetter than 107. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.4°F is warmer than 68%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Sewanee 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 Sewanee's climate
What is the coldest month in Sewanee?
January, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 29°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Sewanee?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Sewanee's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Monteagle (5 miles away), records 5 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Sewanee?
April, with 6.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 4.21 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Sewanee in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sewanee in zone 7b in ZIP code 37383, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Sewanee?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 2; in one year in ten it comes after April 18. Waiting until April 18 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Tennessee climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Monteagle, TN4 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- Winchester, TN7 miles from this station, 59.2°F a year
- Coalmont, TN17 miles from this station, 54.9°F a year
- Bridgeport, AL17 miles from this station, 58.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made