Gatlinburg weather by month

The best time to visit Gatlinburg is May, September and October — 87/100 in September, 25°C and 9 rainy days. The best season is autumn, September to November (80/100 on average).

The worst month is January at 53/100 — cold, rainy, clean air. See January →

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit United States →

Gatlinburg🇺🇸 United States · US South · City87
  1. 53Jan
  2. 59Feb
  3. 68Mar
  4. 80Apr
  5. 85May
  6. 82Jun
  7. 71Jul
  8. 76Aug
  9. 87Sep
  10. 83Oct
  11. 70Nov
  12. 57Dec

Best season: September to November (80/100 on average) · worst January (53/100)

Days
25°C
Nights
14°C
Wet days
9
Sun
9.8 h
Humidity
74%
Daylight
12 h
Gatlinburg, United States
Photo: Denil Dominic · Pexels

Gatlinburg, month by month

Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Gatlinburg is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.

MonthScoreTierHighRainSunCrowdsOn
Jan53D7°C12 d6 hPeak1
Feb59D12°C13 d7 hBusy1
Mar68C16°C11 d8 hBusy—
Apr80A20°C12 d10 hShoulder—
May85A24°C13 d11 hBusy2
Jun82A27°C12 d12 hBusy1
Jul71B29°C14 d12 hPeak1
Aug76B27°C13 d11 hBusy1
Sep87A25°C9 d10 hPeak2
Oct83A20°C8 d9 hBusy1
Nov70B15°C8 d7 hPeak2
Dec57D10°C11 d6 hPeak1

What's on in Gatlinburg through the year

Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.

May
  • Elkmont synchronous fireflies20–27 MayNature
  • Memorial Day weekend23–25 MayHoliday
July
  • Fourth of July Midnight Parade3–4 JulFestival
August
  • Labor Day weekend5–7 SepHoliday
September
  • Fall colour in the Smokies25 Sep – 5 Nov (usually)Nature
November
  • Winter Magic lights5 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)Festival

Crowds in Gatlinburg in September

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Peak crowdsLabor Day weekend, Fall colour in the Smokies, Summer break in United States(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Traveller notes on Gatlinburg

What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.

Forum posters put typical May highs in the mid-to-upper 70sF with lows in the mid-to-lower 50sF, though some report highs into the 80s and lows near 60 by mid-May - shorts and t-shirts by midday, but pants and layers for the notably cooler mornings and evenings. Rain is normal but not usually heavy. The month is repeatedly called an excellent window: less humidity than summer, wildflowers in full bloom, and crowds that stay well below the Memorial Day surge since school is still in session - weekday visits in particular are described as notably quieter than weekends.
Tripadvisor community · May · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Forum posters cite typical November days in Gatlinburg in the low-to-mid 60sF with evenings dropping into the 40s or even high 30s, describing conditions as pleasant by day and genuinely cool at night. Posters are consistent that November is too early for snow at valley level, calling any snow before Thanksgiving a rare fluke rather than a realistic expectation. Posters describe some fall color still lingering into mid-November in a typical year, though it varies and can already be mostly gone by then. Posters note crowds and accommodation rates both drop compared to October's peak leaf-season rush, with one major exception: the weekend after Thanksgiving ranks among the single busiest of the entire year, driven partly by the Christmas lights and Winterfest displays that go up around November 9th. Posters generally rate November as mild by day, cool by night and a good value window for Gatlinburg outside the Thanksgiving-weekend crowd surge.
Tripadvisor community · November · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

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