Chattanooga in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Chattanooga sees average daytime highs around 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 14.2 in of precipitation over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 52°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Chattanooga's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Chattanooga's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 52°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 34°F
- Precipitation
- 14.2 in
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 2.6
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Chattanooga in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 52°F.
A typical winter day in Chattanooga reaches about 52°F and drops to 34°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Chattanooga
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 78 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Chattanooga weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49° / 33° | 4.7 | 10.2 | 1.1 | 9.9 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 54° / 35° | 4.4 | 10.1 | 0.9 | 10.7 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 62° / 42° | 5.2 | 11.6 | 0.2 | 11.7 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 71° / 50° | 4.7 | 10.3 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.5 |
| May | 78° / 59° | 4.0 | 10.6 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 85° / 67° | 3.8 | 12.9 | 0 | 14.3 | 5.0 |
| Jul | 87° / 70° | 4.1 | 13.2 | 0 | 14.1 | 4.3 |
| Aug | 87° / 69° | 3.3 | 11.3 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.7 |
| Sep | 82° / 63° | 3.9 | 8 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.5 |
| Oct | 71° / 51° | 3.3 | 7.1 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.2 |
| Nov | 60° / 41° | 4.2 | 8.7 | 0 | 10.2 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 52° / 35° | 5.1 | 10.3 | 0.4 | 9.7 | 2.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Chattanooga gets around 14.2 in of rain and snow over 31 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Chattanooga
None of Chattanooga's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Chattanooga sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Chattanooga?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chattanooga.
What to pack for Chattanooga in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Chattanooga sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 31 days see rain.
UV index in Chattanooga in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chattanooga peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Chattanooga in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Chattanooga is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 15 | Moderate |
| Jul | 18 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Chattanooga?
Chattanooga sits at 35.0°N, 85.3°W, 676 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is East Chattanooga, 3.7 mi away.
Topography around Chattanooga
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Chattanooga.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Chattanooga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft around an average of 689 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,657 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,661 ft.
The land around Chattanooga is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, trees (71%) within 10 miles, and trees (76%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Chattanooga (35.0456°, -85.3097°, elevation 676 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.