Oconto, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Oconto's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 33.8 inches of precipitation and 52 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.0°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 27°C, 859 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOconto (4 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00476208
- Location44.89°N 87.95°W
- Elevation660 ft (201 m)
- Population4,638
On October 23, the normal high in Oconto is 55°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Oconto.
- Jan 26° 9°
- Feb 30° 10°
- Mar 40° 21°
- Apr 53° 32°
- May 66° 44°
- Jun 76° 55°
- Jul 81° 59°
- Aug 79° 57°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 58° 38°
- Nov 44° 27°
- Dec 31° 16°
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 Oconto each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.10 in), the least in February (1.34 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 9°F | 17.5°F | 1.53 | 10.5 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 30°F | 10°F | 19.9°F | 1.34 | 11.1 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 21°F | 30.5°F | 2.13 | 7.9 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 32°F | 42.7°F | 3.10 | 4.9 | 10 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 44°F | 55.2°F | 3.51 | 0.1 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 55°F | 65.3°F | 4.00 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 59°F | 69.5°F | 4.10 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 57°F | 67.9°F | 3.33 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 49°F | 60.1°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 9 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 38°F | 47.9°F | 3.19 | 0.2 | 9 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 44°F | 27°F | 35.5°F | 2.15 | 2.3 | 7 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 31°F | 16°F | 23.6°F | 1.95 | 14.5 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 35°F | 44.6°F | 33.81 | 51.5 | 101 | 4 | 169 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −8.1°C | 39 mm | 27 cm |
| February | −1°C | −12°C | −6.7°C | 34 mm | 28 cm |
| March | 5°C | −6°C | −0.8°C | 54 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 79 mm | 12 cm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 12.9°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 13°C | 18.5°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 19.9°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 3°C | 8.8°C | 81 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 7°C | −3°C | 1.9°C | 55 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.7°C | 50 mm | 37 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00476208; 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 Oconto?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00476208.
When is the last frost in Oconto?
In Oconto, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 9 in half of years and after May 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 6 in half of years and before September 22 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 91 year in 10 after May 23; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 61 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 150 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 28 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oconto in zone 5a in ZIP code 54153, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Oconto's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (25 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 USC00476208; 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 in Oconto?
In a normal year in Oconto, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 169 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 101 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 169a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 70high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 101a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 20a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 105°F, on July 14, 1936; the lowest is −35°F, on January 19, 1994.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 49.93 in; the snowiest season is 2018–19, with 91.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00476208; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00476208. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Oconto?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Oconto, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | 1.4 |
| February | 62% | 2.3 |
| March | 66% | 3.4 |
| April | 67% | 4.5 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 74% | 6.0 |
| July | 79% | 6.1 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 65% | 2.5 |
| November | 61% | 1.6 |
| December | 54% | 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 much heating and cooling does Oconto need?
A normal year in Oconto brings 7,827 heating degree days, 46% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 442 cooling degree days, 51% 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 2,269 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,474 | 0 |
| February | 1,263 | 0 |
| March | 1,070 | 0 |
| April | 670 | 1 |
| May | 325 | 21 |
| June | 80 | 88 |
| July | 23 | 162 |
| August | 34 | 125 |
| September | 187 | 41 |
| October | 533 | 3 |
| November | 885 | 0 |
| December | 1,285 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,827 | 442 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00476208. 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 Oconto been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 47.0°F, 2.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.6°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.6°F | +1.0°F | 35.17 | 58.5 |
| 2022 | 43.3°F | −1.4°F | 38.84 | 58.5 |
| 2023 | 45.3°F | +0.7°F | 33.74 | 58.5 |
| 2024 | 47.0°F | +2.4°F | 32.98 | 42.6 |
Over 81 complete years from 1891 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.1°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00476208; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Oconto's climate compare?
Oconto is warmer than 66 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 54. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.6°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Oconto 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 Oconto 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.
- Oconto Falls, WI3,024 people · 9 mi W
- Coleman, WI731 people · 13 mi N
- Lena, WI538 people · 6 mi NW
- Pound, WI348 people · 15 mi N
- Abrams, WI306 people · 9 mi SW
- Sobieski, WI238 people · 13 mi SW
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 Oconto's climate
What is the coldest month in Oconto?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Oconto?
Yes: 52 inches in a normal year, falling on 25 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (14.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Oconto?
July, with 4.10 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.34 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Oconto in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Oconto in zone 5a in ZIP code 54153, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Oconto's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (25 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Oconto?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 9; in one year in ten it comes after May 23. Waiting until May 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Peshtigo, WI14 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- Marinette, WI22 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Suring, WI22 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Green Bay, WI28 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made