Madison climate
Madison (Wisconsin, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C47 °F, and about 970 mm38 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Madison climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −326 | −1210 | −818 | 361.4 | 30 |
| Feb | −130 | −1112 | −621 | 411.6 | 28 |
| Mar | 643 | −424 | 134 | 592.3 | 25 |
| Apr | 1456 | 235 | 846 | 983.9 | 11 |
| May | 2068 | 847 | 1458 | 1094.3 | 1 |
| Jun | 2578 | 1558 | 2068 | 1345.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 2882 | 1763 | 2373 | 1024.0 | 0 |
| Aug | 2781 | 1661 | 2271 | 1114.4 | 0 |
| Sep | 2374 | 1153 | 1763 | 933.7 | 0 |
| Oct | 1559 | 439 | 1049 | 803.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 744 | −228 | 236 | 562.2 | 20 |
| Dec | −131 | −817 | −524 | 512.0 | 29 |
| Year | 2882 | −1210 | 847 | 97038 | 150 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89% | 68% | 1.7 | 9:20 |
| Feb | 87% | 64% | 2.8 | 10:28 |
| Mar | 80% | 62% | 3.8 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 77% | 63% | 4.6 | 13:21 |
| May | 77% | 64% | 5.5 | 14:39 |
| Jun | 77% | 58% | 6.1 | 15:21 |
| Jul | 75% | 48% | 6.2 | 15:04 |
| Aug | 74% | 51% | 5.3 | 13:56 |
| Sep | 76% | 49% | 4.2 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 78% | 61% | 2.8 | 10:57 |
| Nov | 82% | 66% | 1.8 | 9:39 |
| Dec | 89% | 71% | 1.3 | 9:01 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Madison is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −3 °C26 °F and lows −12 °C10 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 30.4 °C54.8 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 970 mm38 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 36% of the annual total. The wettest month is June (134 mm5.3 in), the driest is January (36 mm1.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in August to 89% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 48%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in August to 14 km/h (9 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in December, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Madison
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July–September: average highs of 23 °C74 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 93 mm3.7 in to 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −3 °C26 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Madison
- Winter (December–February) — highs −326 to −1 °C31 °F, lows −1210 to −8 °C17 °F, about 43 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 643 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −424 to 8 °C47 °F, about 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2578 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 1558 to 17 °C63 °F, about 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 744 to 23 °C74 °F, lows −228 to 11 °C53 °F, about 77 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Madison compares
Compared with Milwaukee, about 122 km to the east, Madison is on average 0.5 °C1 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (1.4 °C2.6 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Madison is the 217th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 112th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Brampton (Canada, Dfa), Guelph (Canada, Dfb) and Kitchener (Canada, Dfb).
Nearby places
- Rockford 93 km · 9 °C48 °F · 967 mm38 in
- Milwaukee 122 km · 9 °C48 °F · 945 mm37 in
- Elgin 147 km · 10 °C49 °F · 983 mm39 in
- Aurora 171 km · 10 °C49 °F · 983 mm39 in
- Green Bay 195 km · 8 °C46 °F · 878 mm35 in
- Davenport 198 km · 10 °C51 °F · 924 mm36 in
- Chicago 198 km · 10 °C50 °F · 982 mm39 in
- Joliet 203 km · 10 °C51 °F · 985 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Madison?
July is the warmest month in Madison, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Madison?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -3 °C (26 °F) and an average low of -12 °C (10 °F).
When does it rain the most in Madison?
June is the wettest month with about 134 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 36 mm (1.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Madison?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.