Whitwell, Tennessee climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Whitwell's normal year runs from 32°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 63.7 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 15.7°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,619 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWhitwell-Sequatchie Valley
- Station IDUSC00409691
- Location35.29°N 85.47°W
- Elevation1,020 ft (311 m)
- From the center7 miles
- Population1,616
On October 14, the normal high in Whitwell is 73°F and the normal low 51°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 Whitwell.
- Jan 49° 32°
- Feb 54° 35°
- Mar 63° 41°
- Apr 72° 49°
- May 78° 57°
- Jun 84° 65°
- Jul 88° 68°
- Aug 88° 67°
- Sep 83° 62°
- Oct 72° 50°
- Nov 61° 41°
- Dec 52° 35°
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 Whitwell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 32°F. The most precipitation falls in December (6.82 in), the least in October (3.89 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49°F | 32°F | 40.3°F | 5.77 | 1.3 | 12 | <1 | 19 | 10 h |
| February | 54°F | 35°F | 44.2°F | 5.45 | 1.6 | 12 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 63°F | 41°F | 52.2°F | 6.05 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 72°F | 49°F | 60.3°F | 6.02 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 1 | 13 h |
| May | 78°F | 57°F | 67.4°F | 4.54 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| June | 84°F | 65°F | 74.5°F | 5.32 | 0.0 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| July | 88°F | 68°F | 77.7°F | 5.57 | 0.0 | 13 | 10 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| August | 88°F | 67°F | 77.5°F | 5.11 | 0.0 | 11 | 10 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 83°F | 62°F | 72.4°F | 3.96 | 0.0 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 50°F | 61.2°F | 3.89 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 61°F | 41°F | 51.1°F | 5.23 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 6 | 10 h 20 min |
| December | 52°F | 35°F | 43.3°F | 6.82 | 0.1 | 13 | <1 | 16 | 9 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 50°F | 60.2°F | 63.73 | 3.1 | 133 | 32 | 63 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9°C | 0°C | 4.6°C | 147 mm | 3 cm |
| February | 12°C | 1°C | 6.8°C | 138 mm | 4 cm |
| March | 17°C | 5°C | 11.2°C | 154 mm | 0 cm |
| April | 22°C | 9°C | 15.7°C | 153 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 18°C | 23.6°C | 135 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.4°C | 141 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 20°C | 25.3°C | 130 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 17°C | 22.4°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 10°C | 16.2°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 16°C | 5°C | 10.6°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 11°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 173 mm | 0 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00409691; 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 Whitwell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, 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 USC00409691.
When is the last frost in Whitwell?
In Whitwell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 26 in half of years and after April 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 8 in half of years and before October 25 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
- March 261 year in 10 after April 13; 9 in 10 after March 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 81 year in 10 before October 25; 9 in 10 before November 29
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 228 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 256 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 12 in half of springs and before November 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Whitwell in zone 7b in ZIP code 37397, 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 USC00409691; 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 Whitwell?
In a normal year in Whitwell, 32 days a year reach 90°F, 63 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 133 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
- 63a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 5high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 133a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00409691.
How sunny is Whitwell?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Whitwell, 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 Whitwell need?
A normal year in Whitwell brings 3,276 heating degree days, 39% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,554 cooling degree days, 71% 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 4,762 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 766 | 0 |
| February | 582 | 1 |
| March | 407 | 10 |
| April | 183 | 44 |
| May | 58 | 134 |
| June | 2 | 287 |
| July | 0 | 395 |
| August | 0 | 388 |
| September | 16 | 240 |
| October | 168 | 50 |
| November | 420 | 5 |
| December | 673 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 3,276 | 1,554 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00409691. 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 Whitwell been warmer than normal lately?
2023 averaged 59.9°F, 0.3°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 60.2°F. 0 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59.3°F | −0.9°F | 68.86 | 3.4 |
| 2022 | 58.6°F | −1.6°F | 69.17 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 59.9°F | −0.3°F | 55.60 | 0.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00409691. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Whitwell's climate compare?
Whitwell is warmer than 102 of the other 115 places with their own NOAA record in Tennessee, and wetter than 106. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 60.2°F is warmer than 75%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Whitwell 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 Whitwell share this climate record?
5 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.
- Dunlap, TN5,960 people · 7 mi NE
- Lone Oak, TN1,463 people · 9 mi SE
- Powells Crossroads, TN1,294 people · 7 mi S
- Palmer, TN581 people · 7 mi NW
- Griffith Creek, TN405 people · 4 mi W
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 Whitwell's climate
What is the coldest month in Whitwell?
January, with a normal high of 49°F and a normal low of 32°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow in Whitwell?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 3 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (1.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Whitwell?
December, with 6.82 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is October with 3.89 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Whitwell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Whitwell in zone 7b in ZIP code 37397, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Whitwell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 26; in one year in ten it comes after April 13. Waiting until April 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Tennessee climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Soddy-Daisy, TN13 miles from this station, 58.0°F a year
- Coalmont, TN14 miles from this station, 54.9°F a year
- Lookout Mountain, TN21 miles from this station, 57.4°F a year
- Monteagle, TN21 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made