Wisconsin Climate Summaries

  • Wind Point lighthouse on a pleasant day with colorful flowers in the foreground

    August and Summer 2024 Climate Summary

    The last month of meteorological summer ended with an intense heatwave; however, temperatures averaged near normal for August and for the entire summer. Rainfall varied widely this season, with some experiencing drought and others heavy downpours, and severe weather was relatively limited.

  • July 2024 Climate Summary

    July in Wisconsin was surprisingly normal, with temperature and precipitation close to their long-term averages for a change. However, intense rainfall in southern Wisconsin caused damage and flooding while northern Wisconsin and the Lake Michigan coast returned to dry conditions.

  • June 2024 Climate Summary

    A very wet June in Wisconsin completely extinguished the last remnants of drought across the entire state. The month was also slightly warmer than normal, continuing our long streak of above-normal monthly temperatures.

  • May and Spring 2024 Climate Summary

    Warm and wet conditions rounded out spring 2024 in Wisconsin, alleviating drought conditions and sparking severe weather. Warmth Continues May continued Wisconsin’s monthly warmer-than-normal temperatures. Last month’s statewide temperatures averaged 57.7 degrees (Fahrenheit), which ranked …

  • April 2024 Climate Summary

    April in Wisconsin was warm and wet with a whiff of winter. On a statewide basis, the average monthly temperature was 2.2 degrees (Fahrenheit) warmer than normal and precipitation was 15 percent higher.

  • March 2024 Climate Summary

    After a record-breaking February and winter (December to February), Wisconsin’s weather returned to more recognizable conditions during March, although the month was significantly warmer and wetter than normal.

  • Winter 2023–24 Climate Summary

    In what was dubbed a “Lost Winter,” warmth extended through the entire winter season, making it the warmest winter (December to February) since record-keeping began in 1895.

  • February and Winter 2024 Climate Summary

    Wisconsin experienced one of its most climatically eventful Februaries, with record-setting warmth and the first recorded February tornadoes in state history.

  • January 2024 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    January ended as Wisconsin’s 10th warmest January on record, but not before a mid-month visit from Old Man Winter, coupled with frigid temperatures and heavy snowfall in much of the state.

  • Wisconsin Year-End Climate Synopsis for 2023

    In 2023 Wisconsin experienced record drought along with unusually warm temperatures, as well as precipitation extremes.

  • December 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    December was a record warm month in Wisconsin that generally felt like a continuation of November. The exceptional temperatures greatly delayed ice formation on inland lakes and the Great Lakes, and they also suppressed snowfall and snow cover.

  • November and Autumn 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    November was a very dry month in Wisconsin, yet the state’s drought status remained nearly unchanged, with more than one-third of Wisconsin remaining in at least moderate drought and one-sixth of the state continuing in severe or extreme drought.

  • Snow-covered pumpkins

    October 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    October featured a little bit of everything across Wisconsin. Most notable was the precipitation that finally eased our state's drought conditions, but the month was also marked by warmer-than-average temperatures that contrasted with a winter-like Halloween.

  • September 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    One could be forgiven for forgetting September marked the start of meteorological fall. In Wisconsin and beyond, the continued historic hot and dry conditions sure felt more like mid-July. 

  • August 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    Meteorological summer ended as one of the driest on record. The continued drought conditions were accompanied by a short but intense heat wave in August that included temperatures above 100 degrees.

  • July 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    The increased rainfall Wisconsin received in July 2023 unfortunately did little to alleviate the state's drought conditions — in fact, our drought actually got worse.

  • June 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    Intense drought conditions quickly took hold in June thanks to a lack of rainfall and exceptionally dry air. Meanwhile, parts of the state saw some of the worst air quality in the country due to the wildfires in Canada. Temperatures were warmer than normal but the nights were comfortable, one positive of the prevailing dryness.

  • May and Spring 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    May was historically dry in Wisconsin, becoming the 4th driest on record (since 1895) with only 1.59 inches of precipitation averaged statewide.

  • April 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    April 2023 in Wisconsin saw wild temperature fluctuations and above-normal precipitation, including record snowfall in some areas.

  • March 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    March 2023 in Wisconsin was cooler than average, had more precipitation than normal and had heavy snowfall, especially in the far northern part of the state.

  • February 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    Extreme rainfall late in the month led to an exceptionally wet February 2023 in Wisconsin. The state also experienced an unusually warm February and winter, leading to a scarcity of extreme cold.

  • January 2023 Wisconsin Climate Summary

    The new year kicked off with much warmer than average temperatures and relentless cloud cover.