Gatlinburg weather in January

In January, Gatlinburg sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 4.5 in of precipitation across 12.4 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Gatlinburg's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gatlinburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
12th warmest
Overnight low
28°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.5 in
12.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:48 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
61%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Gatlinburg is resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
156/km²
people per km²
Founded
1945

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 46°F through the month.

A typical January day in Gatlinburg reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14729
24729
34629
44629
54629
64629
74629
84629
94629
104629
114628
124628
134628
144628
154628
164628
174528
184528
194528
204528
214528
224528
234528
244628
254628
264628
274628
284628
294628
304629
314629

How January really feels in Gatlinburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Gatlinburg weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 28°4.512.43.79.91.2
Feb50° / 32°4.112.14.110.62.0
Mar58° / 38°4.813.12.311.74.1
Apr67° / 46°4.612.10.812.95.8
May73° / 54°4.414.3013.96.1
Jun80° / 62°4.115.2014.45.8
Jul82° / 65°4.616014.25.5
Aug82° / 64°3.613.8013.45.9
Sep77° / 58°3.810012.26.9
Oct67° / 47°3.19.10.211.16.5
Nov57° / 37°3.89.90.710.14.2
Dec49° / 32°4.211.52.69.61.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34258
44159
54159
64159
74159
84258
94258
104159
114159
124258
134258
144258
154258
164159
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224456
234456
244357
254357
264357
274357
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Gatlinburg gets around 4.5 in of rain and snow over 12.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13710
23810
33811
43811
53911
63911
74012
84012
94112
104113
114113
124113
134213
144213
154213
164112
174112
184112
194112
204112
214112
224012
234012
244013
254013
264013
274114
284114
294115
304115
314216

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in January

Winds average 5 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of January to 10 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:49 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:495:26
29.67:495:27
39.67:495:27
49.67:495:28
59.77:495:29
69.77:495:30
79.77:495:30
89.77:495:31
99.77:495:32
109.77:495:33
119.77:495:34
129.87:495:35
139.87:495:35
149.87:495:36
159.87:495:37
169.87:485:38
179.87:485:39
189.97:485:40
199.97:485:41
209.97:475:42
219.97:475:43
2210.07:475:44
2310.07:465:45
2410.07:465:46
2510.07:455:47
2610.17:455:48
2710.17:445:49
2810.17:445:50
2910.17:435:51
3010.27:425:52
3110.27:425:53

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.09 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.45 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.7Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.8Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Gatlinburg?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

1.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Gatlinburg.

What to pack for Gatlinburg in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Gatlinburg sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Gatlinburg in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Gatlinburg peaks around July 11 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 11UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Gatlinburg in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Gatlinburg is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 226 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gatlinburg?

Gatlinburg sits at 35.7°N, 83.5°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sevierville, 11 mi away.

Topography around Gatlinburg

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Gatlinburg.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Gatlinburg has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,450 ft around an average of 1,791 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,889 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,981 ft.

The land around Gatlinburg is covered by trees (92%) within 2 miles, trees (92%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,450 ft
10 miles
5,889 ft
50 miles
5,981 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sevierville 11 mi · Maryville 26 mi · Knoxville 29 mi · Morristown 37 mi · Farragut 38 mi · Oak Ridge 47 mi · Greeneville 49 mi · Asheville 54 mi

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
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

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 Gatlinburg (35.7145°, -83.5119°, elevation 0 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).