Lancaster, WI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Lancaster's primary NOAA station, LANCASTER 4 WSW.
The climate verdict for Lancaster
Lancaster, Wisconsin has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 46°F. Its climate comfort score of 59/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 46°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 59/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 38.5"
- annual precipitation · 37" snow
- 167 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Lancaster: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00474546 · Lancaster, WI 46°F mean · 38.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,647
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Gordon
- PRCP-MID 38.5"
- SWING-WIDE 54°F
- COMF-MID 59/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,365 HDD
- STN-1 USC00474546
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Gordon, NE (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every WI station list.
- Lancaster (this station) 46°F
- Hot Charmany Farm, WI 46°F
- Near Gordon, NE 46°F
- Near Reedsburg, WI 46°F
- Near Manchester, IA 46°F
Climate Living Index · Lancaster
Lancaster: 44/100 · grade D
Lancaster publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Lancaster, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 59/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 38.5 in · 3.5 from 35 in | 87/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 151 calendar days | 46/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 167 days/year | 39/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 37.4 inches/year | 31/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.3°F · 21.2° from 67.5°F | 24/100 · F |
Lancaster · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Lancaster is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 17.1°F and warmest-month mean 71.4°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 71.4°F
- Coldest month
- 17.1°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Lancaster sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Lancaster's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 76%
- Among 6,861 stations, Lancaster sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 55th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 91%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Lancaster is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Lancaster compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Lancaster's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
59 37th percentile score exceeds 37% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Lancaster's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 94 complete annual observations from 1895 to 2025, LANCASTER 4 WSW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.04°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Lancaster primary station fitted change +0.04 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F (-4°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 1.2" | 10.0" | 30.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 30°F (-1°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 1.3" | 8.9" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 43°F (6°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 2.0" | 4.9" | 23.9 | 0.0 |
| April | 57°F (14°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 3.8" | 1.6" | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 4.4" | 0.2" | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| June | 77°F (25°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 5.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| July | 81°F (27°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 5.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| September | 72°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 2.9" | 0.5" | 7.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 2.4" | 2.6" | 21.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (-1°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 1.7" | 8.7" | 29.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 12, short of 90°F on every date, while 151 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 8°F near January 22.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 3, then returns to freezing around November 5, covering 151 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 29, when 42% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 24 at 27%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 118 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 25 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 21°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Lancaster.
Where Lancaster Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 21°F.
Lancaster earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 10.0"
8.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.9"
8.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.9"
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
11.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
12.9 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
10.0 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.6"
8.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.7"
9.3 days with precipitation
Lancaster runs a summer-peaked wet season
39% of Lancaster's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 5.9", on a wide 54.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, July, May, taking 40% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 1.2".
- Winter share: 11% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Lancaster's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 118 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 38.5" between them, or roughly 0.33 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Lancaster
Lancaster averages 37.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 25 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 37.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 25 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 10% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 11
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
167 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,365
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
599
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WI closest to Lancaster on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (46°F here).
- Binghamton, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Chewelah, WA 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Delanson, NY 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Douglas, WY 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (38.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Lagrange, IN 38.5" · 0.0" off
- Iowa City, IA 38.5" · 0.0" off
- Bucyrus, OH 38.5" · 0.0" off
- Franklin, WV 38.5" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Lancaster
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Lancaster's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,365 annual heating degree days against 599 for cooling. Its 54.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Lancaster's frost-free season lasts about 167 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Lancaster coldest normal
January
Averaging 17°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Lancaster typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Lancaster snow peak
January
Lancaster averages 37.4 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Lancaster's climate
How much snow does Lancaster get? ▼
How cold does Lancaster get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Lancaster? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Lancaster's primary station: LANCASTER 4 WSW (USC00474546). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 5542250). Match rule for Lancaster: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Lancaster comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.