Vilas County Climate Profile

Vilas County is located in the north-central part of Wisconsin, along the northern border of the state. The county is in a part of Wisconsin that is dominated by forests, wetlands, and freshwater lakes. The county is known for its notable number of freshwater lakes and rivers (over 1,300). Vilas County has a humid continental climate, characterized by precipitation year-round and summers that are warm to hot.

Records are computed using all available station data, some of which goes back to 1895 (Source: ACIS).

Averages for freeze dates are computed for the most recent 30 years (1995-2024; Source: ACIS).

Temperatures have been increasing since 1950 in Vilas County on the annual and seasonal time scales, which is the case for most of Wisconsin. Since 1950, annual average temperatures in Vilas County have increased at a rate of 0.4°F/decade, which translates to an increase of 1°F every 25 years. This increase in temperature has been most pronounced in the winter months and less pronounced in the other seasons. When annual average temperatures are split into daily high and low temperatures, low temperatures have been warming at a faster rate compared to high temperatures.

With temperatures warming, this does not mean that every year will be warmer than the last, or that more recent years will all have above-average (1895-2025) temperatures. However, Vilas County is experiencing more years that are above average than it did in the past. For example, since 2000, Vilas County has experienced only seven years with below-average temperatures. Similarly, if we rank the top ten warmest years in Vilas County since 1895 (black circles on the above chart), seven have occurred since 2000, with 1998 and 1999 also in the top ten. The top ten coldest years (black squares) are a bit more spread out over time, with just one of the top ten years occurring since 2000.

On the annual timescale, precipitation has shown minimal change in Vilas County since 1950. Precipitation has increased at a rate of 0.10″ per decade, which means an increase of one inch every 100 years. At the seasonal level, summer is the season of largest decrease in precipitation in terms of inches per decade (-0.29″ per decade) and percentage (-14%) since the early 1950s. Fall is the season of largest increase in precipitation in terms of inches per decade (0.15”/decade), but winter is the season with the largest percentage increase from average annual precipitation in the early 1950’s (18%).

Looking at the full record from 1895 to 2025, annual precipitation has increased at a rate of 0.34 inches per decade. That’s an increase of one inch approximately every 29 years. However, as was noted in the previous paragraph, the increase is not as steep if the trend starts in 1950 (one inch every 100 years). Taken together, the two graphs show that trends across shorter time periods can be more affected by the ups and downs in weather, pointing to the usefulness of long-term data sets when looking at climate trends. Even within the long-term trend that shows increasing precipitation, year-to-year precipitation varies. For example, the county has had four of its wettest years on record since 2000 (2010, 2016, 2017, 2019), but it also had 11 years with below-average precipitation during that same period. This mix of wet and dry years is normal within a long-term trend.

Despite being one of Wisconsin’s most northern counties, Vilas County is no stranger to sweltering summer heat, where daytime temperatures can top 90°F or even 100°F. But when are these hot days most likely to occur in Vilas County? The State Climatology Office analyzed the likelihood of a “hot day” (daily high temperature ≥ 90°F) or “warm night” (daily low temperature ≥ 70°F) occurring between two calendar dates using historical measured temperature data from NOAA stations in Vilas County. Based on this analysis, hot days have occurred most frequently between July 21 to 31. Mid-July (11-20) is when warm nights have been the most common. Over the past 20 years (2006-2025), Vilas County experiences, on average, three hot days per year. Warm nights are less common, with an average of one warm night per every two years.

Have Vilas County summers been getting hotter? Since 1950, summertime average temperatures have warmed by about 2°F, which is less warming compared to the change in annual temperatures in Vilas County. Summertime low temperatures have warmed by about 2°F since 1950. By comparison, summer high temperatures in Vilas County have not warmed as much (about 1.5°F). You can read more about trends in summertime temperatures in Wisconsin in this blog post. 

Vilas County can get quite chilly once winter rolls around! Some of our coldest days of the year in Wisconsin are when the overnight low temperatures dip below 0°F. The State Climatology Office performed an analysis on the likelihood of a “very cold day” (daily high temperature ≤ 10°F) or “very cold night” (daily low temperature ≤ 0°F) occurring between two calendar dates using historical measured temperature data from NOAA stations in Vilas County. Based on this analysis, very cold days and nights have occurred most frequently between January 21 to 31. Over the past 20 years (2006-2025), Vilas County experienced, on average, 12 very cold days per year and 39 very cold nights per year.

Across all four seasons, winter has warmed the most in Vilas County since 1950, a trend that holds true across most of Wisconsin. Since 1950, average winter temperatures in Vilas County have warmed by 4-5°F. Over this same time period, low temperatures in winter have warmed a bit more than the average temperatures (approximately 6°F). The coldest temperature of the year in Vilas County has shown a warming trend since 1950.

Heavy precipitation days, which for this publication refers to a one-day liquid precipitation total of two inches or more, can impact Vilas County at all times of the year. Extreme precipitation in the winter is measured by the amount of liquid that would be present if you melted down all of the snow that fell that day. The vast majority of these heavy precipitation days (80 percent) have occurred from June through September. July is the month that has historically had the most heavy precipitation days in Vilas County. In general, summer is the wettest season in Vilas County, with winter being the driest season. Over the past 20 years (2006-2025), Vilas County experienced, on average, eight heavy precipitation days per decade.

Future climate projections from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) indicate that by mid-century (2041-2060), under a moderate greenhouse gas emissions scenario, average annual temperatures in Vilas County will continue to increase by approximately 4°F compared to recent averages. Winter is projected to continue to be the season of the largest temperature increase (about 5°F). The number of nights where temperatures drop below 0°F is expected to decrease as winters warm (20-25 per year), and the number of nights in summer with temperatures staying above 70°F is expected to increase. The frequency of days that top 90°F is projected to increase with a warming climate to 10-15 days per year.

Annual precipitation is expected to increase by around five percent by mid-century, according to WICCI projections. Winter and spring are projected to be the seasons of greatest precipitation increase in Vilas County (about 10%), with summers projected to be 5% drier by mid-century. Despite projections for drier summers, the frequency of heavy precipitation days (two inches or more) is projected to increase by mid-century. 

To explore more climate projections from WICCI and learn more about future climate modeling, please visit this website.

The data in this publication are a snapshot of the historical climate data for Vilas County. If you have questions about this publication or would like more data on a topic, please contact the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. 

For more information about how climate affects your farm, community, health, and livelihood, please check out resources from the Division of Extension and the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts.