Knoxville weather in January

In January, Knoxville sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 10.7 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 47°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Knoxville's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knoxville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
12th warmest
Overnight low
31°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.4 in
10.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:51 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
63%
10th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Knoxville is city and county seat of Knox County, State of Tennessee, United States.

Density
707/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

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 47°F through the month.

A typical January day in Knoxville reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°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)
14833
24833
34833
44833
54833
64832
74832
84832
94732
104732
114732
124732
134731
144731
154731
164731
174731
184731
194731
204731
214731
224731
234731
244731
254731
264831
274831
284831
294831
304831
314931

How January really feels in Knoxville

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.

Knoxville 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
Jan47° / 31°4.410.71.89.81.6
Feb52° / 34°4.310.91.710.62.6
Mar60° / 41°4.912.20.711.74.6
Apr69° / 49°4.310.9012.96.2
May77° / 58°3.711.7013.96.5
Jun84° / 66°3.713.2014.45.2
Jul86° / 70°4.714.8014.24.4
Aug86° / 68°3.411.4013.44.9
Sep81° / 62°3.58.3012.26.7
Oct70° / 50°2.97.8011.17.0
Nov59° / 40°3.88.90.210.14.7
Dec50° / 35°4.610.619.62.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53862
63862
73763
83763
93763
103763
113763
123862
133763
143763
153763
163862
173862
183961
194060
204060
214060
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Knoxville gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1335
2335
3335
4346
5346
6356
7356
8356
9366
10366
11376
12376
13376
14376
15376
16376
17376
18366
19366
20366
21356
22356
23356
24346
25346
26346
27346
28346
29346
30346
31346

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29631
39730
49730
59730
69730
79730
89730
99730
109730
119730
129730
139730
149730
159820
169820
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229910
239910
249910
259910
269910
279910
289910
299910
309910
319910

Wind in January

Winds average 6 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 7:51 AM to 7:44 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:515:27
29.67:515:27
39.67:515:28
49.67:515:29
59.67:525:30
69.67:525:31
79.77:525:31
89.77:525:32
99.77:525:33
109.77:525:34
119.77:525:35
129.77:515:36
139.87:515:36
149.87:515:37
159.87:515:38
169.87:515:39
179.87:505:40
189.87:505:41
199.97:505:42
209.97:505:43
219.97:495:44
229.97:495:45
2310.07:485:46
2410.07:485:47
2510.07:475:48
2610.07:475:49
2710.17:465:50
2810.17:465:51
2910.17:455:52
3010.17:455:53
3110.27:445:54

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.07 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.37 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.1Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.5Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Knoxville?

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

1.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Knoxville.

What to pack for Knoxville in January

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

In January, Knoxville sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Knoxville 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 Knoxville peaks around July 12 at about 10 (very high) — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Knoxville 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 Knoxville is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1518 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Knoxville?

Knoxville sits at 36.0°N, 83.9°W, 906 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Farragut, 14 mi away.

Topography around Knoxville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Knoxville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 390 ft around an average of 919 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 879 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,974 ft.

The land around Knoxville is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (39%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
390 ft
10 miles
879 ft
50 miles
5,974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Farragut 14 mi · Maryville 14 mi · Oak Ridge 20 mi · Sevierville 21 mi · Gatlinburg 29 mi · Morristown 39 mi · Greeneville 63 mi · Cleveland 77 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 Knoxville (35.9606°, -83.9207°, elevation 906 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).