Chattanooga climate
Chattanooga (Tennessee, United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C61 °F, and about 1,355 mm53 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Chattanooga climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 949 | −130 | 439 | 1094.3 | 20 |
| Feb | 1253 | 133 | 643 | 1234.8 | 15 |
| Mar | 1762 | 541 | 1152 | 1184.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 2272 | 1049 | 1660 | 1154.5 | 1 |
| May | 2680 | 1559 | 2169 | 1154.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 3188 | 1967 | 2577 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 3391 | 2170 | 2780 | 1275.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 3391 | 2069 | 2780 | 963.8 | 0 |
| Sep | 3085 | 1762 | 2374 | 1084.3 | 0 |
| Oct | 2374 | 1050 | 1762 | 893.5 | 1 |
| Nov | 1662 | 439 | 1050 | 1094.3 | 7 |
| Dec | 1152 | 133 | 643 | 1405.5 | 16 |
| Year | 3391 | −130 | 1661 | 1,35553 | 66 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 64% | 2.3 | 10:02 |
| Feb | 83% | 69% | 2.9 | 10:52 |
| Mar | 81% | 63% | 4.0 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 78% | 56% | 5.3 | 13:02 |
| May | 77% | 58% | 5.8 | 13:59 |
| Jun | 73% | 53% | 6.3 | 14:30 |
| Jul | 71% | 56% | 6.0 | 14:17 |
| Aug | 70% | 51% | 5.5 | 13:28 |
| Sep | 70% | 48% | 4.8 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 72% | 47% | 3.7 | 11:14 |
| Nov | 76% | 51% | 2.8 | 10:16 |
| Dec | 84% | 65% | 2.0 | 9:48 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Chattanooga is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C91 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 9 °C49 °F and lows −1 °C30 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 22.8 °C41.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,355 mm53 in of precipitation per year. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is December (140 mm5.5 in), the driest is October (89 mm3.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in August to 84% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 47%) are typical of October. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in August to 2 km/h (1 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Chattanooga
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 23 °C74 °F with 89 mm3.5 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 9 °C49 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Chattanooga
- Winter (December–February) — highs 949 to 12 °C53 °F, lows −130 to 1 °C33 °F, about 124 mm4.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1762 to 26 °C80 °F, lows 541 to 15 °C59 °F, about 116 mm4.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3188 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 1967 to 21 °C70 °F, about 110 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1662 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 439 to 17 °C62 °F, about 102 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Chattanooga compares
Compared with Huntsville, about 122 km to the west, Chattanooga has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Chattanooga is the 93rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 21st wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Taozhou (China, Cfa), Xuancheng (China, Cfa) and Kutaisi (Georgia, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains East Chattanooga (pop. 154,024). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Chattanooga, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Huntsville 122 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,396 mm55 in
- Murfreesboro 132 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,367 mm54 in
- Sandy Springs 151 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,292 mm51 in
- Knoxville 162 km · 15 °C60 °F · 1,308 mm52 in
- Atlanta 167 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,260 mm50 in
- Nashville 182 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,351 mm53 in
- Athens 214 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,261 mm50 in
- Birmingham 218 km · 17 °C62 °F · 1,369 mm54 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Chattanooga?
July is the warmest month in Chattanooga, with an average high of 33 °C (91 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Chattanooga?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 9 °C (49 °F) and an average low of -1 °C (30 °F).
When does it rain the most in Chattanooga?
December is the wettest month with about 140 mm (5.5 in) of precipitation; October is the driest with about 89 mm (3.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Chattanooga?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 282 m, while Chattanooga lies at about 206 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C0.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.