Eau Claire, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Eau Claire's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 33.0 inches of precipitation and 55 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.1°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 28°C, 838 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationChippewa Valley Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014991
- Location44.87°N 91.49°W
- Elevation885 ft (270 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population72,331
On October 14, the normal high in Eau Claire is 59°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 33%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Eau Claire.
- Jan 23° 6°
- Feb 28° 9°
- Mar 41° 21°
- Apr 57° 33°
- May 70° 45°
- Jun 79° 56°
- Jul 83° 60°
- Aug 80° 58°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 58° 37°
- Nov 42° 25°
- Dec 29° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Eau Claire each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.83 in), the least in January (1.03 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 6°F | 14.6°F | 1.03 | 13.5 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 9°F | 18.8°F | 1.10 | 11.2 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 21°F | 31.2°F | 1.97 | 9.6 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 33°F | 44.8°F | 3.08 | 4.3 | 12 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 70°F | 45°F | 57.4°F | 3.91 | 0.4 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 79°F | 56°F | 67.1°F | 4.83 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 83°F | 60°F | 71.3°F | 3.61 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 80°F | 58°F | 69.1°F | 4.18 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 49°F | 60.8°F | 3.65 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 37°F | 47.5°F | 2.49 | 0.7 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 25°F | 33.4°F | 1.79 | 4.7 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 29°F | 13°F | 20.6°F | 1.35 | 11.0 | 10 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 34°F | 44.7°F | 32.99 | 55.4 | 128 | 10 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −9.7°C | 26 mm | 34 cm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.3°C | 28 mm | 28 cm |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.4°C | 50 mm | 24 cm |
| April | 14°C | 1°C | 7.1°C | 78 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 99 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.5°C | 123 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 15°C | 21.8°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 10°C | 16.0°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.6°C | 63 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 6°C | −4°C | 0.8°C | 45 mm | 12 cm |
| December | −2°C | −11°C | −6.3°C | 34 mm | 28 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014991; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Eau Claire?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (10).
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 USW00014991.
When is the last frost in Eau Claire?
In Eau Claire, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after May 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 20 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 81 year in 10 after May 21; 9 in 10 after April 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 149 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 169 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 27 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Eau Claire in zone 4b across its 2 ZIP code areas (4b in 54703, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Eau Claire's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (30 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 USW00014991; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Eau Claire ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Eau Claire's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 4b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Eau Claire?
In a normal year in Eau Claire, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 163 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 128 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 163a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 73high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 128a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
The highest temperature in Eau Claire's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 111°F, on July 14, 1936; the lowest is −45°F, on January 30, 1951.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1938, with 53.27 in; the snowiest season is 2018–19, with 98.8 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014991; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record EAUthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Eau Claire, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 59°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in January (10°F). April is the windiest month (8.5 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (65%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°F | 74% | 64% | 7.0 mph | 48% | 39% |
| February | 15°F | 70% | 57% | 7.6 mph | 51% | 38% |
| March | 26°F | 62% | 46% | 8.2 mph | 51% | 33% |
| April | 35°F | 55% | 37% | 8.5 mph | 51% | 31% |
| May | 50°F | 64% | 45% | 7.3 mph | 53% | 25% |
| June | 59°F | 68% | 50% | 6.9 mph | 61% | 17% |
| July | 60°F | 70% | 49% | 6.0 mph | 62% | 16% |
| August | 57°F | 72% | 50% | 6.5 mph | 65% | 16% |
| September | 44°F | 70% | 49% | 7.3 mph | 57% | 26% |
| October | 31°F | 69% | 52% | 7.6 mph | 49% | 39% |
| November | 20°F | 75% | 64% | 7.4 mph | 44% | 45% |
| December | 11°F | 76% | 68% | 7.1 mph | 46% | 44% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014991. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Eau Claire?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Eau Claire, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (62%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 352nd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 1.8 |
| February | 77% | 2.9 |
| March | 74% | 4.0 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 69% | 5.5 |
| June | 74% | 6.0 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 67% | 2.7 |
| November | 65% | 1.7 |
| December | 62% | 1.3 |
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 much heating and cooling does Eau Claire need?
A normal year in Eau Claire brings 7,923 heating degree days, 47% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 567 cooling degree days, 38% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,513 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,562 | 0 |
| February | 1,295 | 0 |
| March | 1,047 | 0 |
| April | 607 | 2 |
| May | 266 | 28 |
| June | 57 | 120 |
| July | 12 | 207 |
| August | 27 | 153 |
| September | 179 | 53 |
| October | 548 | 4 |
| November | 950 | 0 |
| December | 1,375 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,923 | 567 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014991. 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.
Has Eau Claire been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 45.4°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.7°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.0°F | +2.3°F | 34.86 | 40.2 |
| 2022 | 43.6°F | −1.1°F | 31.08 | 48.7 |
| 2023 | 47.6°F | +2.9°F | 30.55 | 49.8 |
| 2024 | 48.7°F | +4.0°F | 35.09 | 38.1 |
| 2025 | 45.4°F | +0.7°F | 29.57 | 52.4 |
Over 74 complete years from 1950 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.6°F per century (+0.25°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014991; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Eau Claire's climate compare?
Eau Claire is warmer than 68 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 41. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.7°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire share this climate record?
6 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.
- Chippewa Falls, WI15,075 people · 7 mi NE
- Altoona, WI9,302 people · 5 mi SE
- Lake Hallie, WI7,349 people · 4 mi NE
- Lake Wissota, WI3,103 people · 11 mi NE
- Seymour, WI1,547 people · 4 mi SE
- Elk Mound, WI1,094 people · 10 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Eau Claire's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Eau Claire. This page uses Chippewa Valley Regional Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire (3 mi SW) USC00472425 | 2 mi SW | 880 ft | 46.0°F | 8°F | 82°F | 32.8 | 54 | April 24 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Eau Claire's climate
What is the coldest month in Eau Claire?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Eau Claire?
Yes: 55 inches in a normal year, falling on 42 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (13.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Eau Claire?
June, with 4.83 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.03 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Eau Claire in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Eau Claire in zone 4b across its 2 ZIP code areas (4b in 54703, the largest). By the same method at Eau Claire's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Eau Claire?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after May 21. Waiting until May 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Eau Claire in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bloomer, WI16 miles from this station, 43.3°F a year
- Jim Falls, WI17 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Augusta, WI21 miles from this station, 43.4°F a year
- Menomonie, WI22 miles from this station, 44.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made