Big Falls Hydro, Wisconsin climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Big Falls Hydro's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 33.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.7°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 26°C, 856 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBig Falls Hydro
- Station IDUSC00470773
- Location45.56°N 90.96°W
- Elevation1,205 ft (367 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Big Falls Hydro is 52°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Falls Hydro.
- Jan 22° 2°
- Feb 27° 4°
- Mar 39° 17°
- Apr 53° 31°
- May 66° 44°
- Jun 75° 55°
- Jul 79° 58°
- Aug 77° 56°
- Sep 69° 48°
- Oct 56° 36°
- Nov 40° 24°
- Dec 27° 11°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Big Falls Hydro each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.56 in), the least in January (1.03 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 2°F | 11.8°F | 1.03 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 27°F | 4°F | 15.7°F | 1.06 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 17°F | 27.9°F | 1.74 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 31°F | 42.2°F | 3.06 | – | <1 | 21 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 44°F | 55.1°F | 3.90 | – | <1 | 5 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 55°F | 64.9°F | 4.56 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 79°F | 58°F | 68.8°F | 3.80 | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 77°F | 56°F | 66.7°F | 4.19 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 69°F | 48°F | 58.5°F | 3.73 | – | <1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 36°F | 45.8°F | 3.24 | – | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 24°F | 31.9°F | 1.96 | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 11°F | 18.9°F | 1.42 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 32°F | 42.3°F | 33.69 | – | 5 | 190 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −17°C | −11.2°C | 26 mm |
| February | −3°C | −15°C | −9.1°C | 27 mm |
| March | 4°C | −8°C | −2.3°C | 44 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.7°C | 78 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 99 mm |
| June | 24°C | 13°C | 18.3°C | 116 mm |
| July | 26°C | 15°C | 20.4°C | 97 mm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 106 mm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 14.7°C | 95 mm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.7°C | 82 mm |
| November | 4°C | −4°C | −0.1°C | 50 mm |
| December | −3°C | −12°C | −7.3°C | 36 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Ladysmith (10 miles away), gets 52 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00470773; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Big Falls Hydro?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00470773.
When is the last frost at Big Falls Hydro?
In Big Falls Hydro, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 7 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 18 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 71 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 147 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 169 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 28 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Falls Hydro in zone 4a in ZIP code 54563, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (17 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wisconsin · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00470773; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Big Falls Hydro?
In a normal year in Big Falls Hydro, 5 days a year reach 90°F and 190 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 190a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1983) is 100°F, on July 15, 1988; the lowest is −41°F, on December 24, 1983.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 42.91 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 82.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00470773; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00470773. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Big Falls Hydro?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Big Falls Hydro, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 1.7 |
| February | 76% | 2.8 |
| March | 73% | 3.9 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 68% | 5.4 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 78% | 6.2 |
| August | 76% | 5.2 |
| September | 74% | 4.0 |
| October | 66% | 2.5 |
| November | 62% | 1.6 |
| December | 57% | 1.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Big Falls Hydro record?
A normal year at Big Falls Hydro brings 8,589 heating degree days, 60% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 377 cooling degree days, 59% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,139 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,649 | 0 |
| February | 1,380 | 0 |
| March | 1,150 | 0 |
| April | 686 | 0 |
| May | 324 | 17 |
| June | 82 | 79 |
| July | 28 | 146 |
| August | 48 | 102 |
| September | 224 | 31 |
| October | 599 | 2 |
| November | 992 | 0 |
| December | 1,428 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,589 | 377 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00470773. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Big Falls Hydro been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 46.3°F, 4.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.3°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.0°F | +2.7°F | 30.53 |
| 2022 | 40.7°F | −1.6°F | 30.66 |
| 2023 | 44.7°F | +2.4°F | – |
| 2024 | 46.3°F | +4.0°F | 35.46 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00470773. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Big Falls Hydro's climate compare?
Big Falls Hydro is warmer than 31 of the 165 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 50. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.3°F is warmer than 10%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Big Falls Hydro is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Big Falls Hydro share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Tony, WI99 people · 6 mi S
- Glen Flora, WI98 people · 5 mi SE
- Ingram, WI71 people · 8 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Big Falls Hydro's climate
What is the coldest month at Big Falls Hydro?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Big Falls Hydro?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Ladysmith (10 miles away), records 52 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Big Falls Hydro?
June, with 4.56 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.03 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Falls Hydro in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Falls Hydro in zone 4a in ZIP code 54563, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come at Big Falls Hydro?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 7; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ladysmith, WI10 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Winter, WI17 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- Jump River (3 mi E), WI17 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Weyerhaeuser, WI24 miles from this station, 43.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made