Oshkosh, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Oshkosh's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 30.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.9°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 27°C, 776 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationOshkosh Wittman Airport
- Station IDUSW00094855
- Location43.98°N 88.56°W
- Elevation782 ft (238 m)
- Population67,242
On October 22, the normal high in Oshkosh is 56°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Oshkosh.
- Jan 26° 11°
- Feb 30° 14°
- Mar 42° 24°
- Apr 55° 36°
- May 67° 47°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 81° 61°
- Aug 79° 60°
- Sep 72° 51°
- Oct 59° 40°
- Nov 44° 29°
- Dec 32° 18°
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 Oshkosh each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.65 in), the least in February (0.83 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. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 11°F | 18.5°F | 1.11 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 30°F | 14°F | 21.6°F | 0.83 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 42°F | 24°F | 32.8°F | 1.74 | 9 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 36°F | 45.1°F | 2.89 | 12 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 67°F | 47°F | 57.1°F | 3.60 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 77°F | 57°F | 67.3°F | 4.65 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 61°F | 71.3°F | 3.69 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 79°F | 60°F | 69.4°F | 3.20 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 72°F | 51°F | 61.7°F | 3.00 | 10 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 59°F | 40°F | 49.3°F | 2.76 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 44°F | 29°F | 36.3°F | 1.82 | 8 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 32°F | 18°F | 24.8°F | 1.27 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 37°F | 46.3°F | 30.56 | 121 | 6 | 146 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −12°C | −7.5°C | 28 mm |
| February | −1°C | −10°C | −5.8°C | 21 mm |
| March | 5°C | −4°C | 0.4°C | 44 mm |
| April | 13°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 73 mm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 13.9°C | 91 mm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.6°C | 118 mm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 94 mm |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 81 mm |
| September | 22°C | 11°C | 16.5°C | 76 mm |
| October | 15°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 70 mm |
| November | 7°C | −2°C | 2.4°C | 46 mm |
| December | 0°C | −8°C | −4.0°C | 32 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Oshkosh's own co-op station Oshkosh station does: 39 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094855; 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 Oshkosh?
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 (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 USW00094855.
When is the last frost in Oshkosh?
In Oshkosh, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 13 in half of years and before September 29 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 131 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 165 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 189 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 18 in half of springs and before October 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oshkosh in zone 5b across its 2 ZIP code areas (5b in 54901, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Oshkosh's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (24 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 USW00094855; 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 Oshkosh ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Oshkosh's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 5b. 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 Oshkosh?
In a normal year in Oshkosh, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 146 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 121 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 146a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 66high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 121a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1996) is 100°F, on July 23, 2012; the lowest is −26°F, on January 31, 2019.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 40.14 in; the snowiest season is 2010–11, with 61.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094855; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094855. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Oshkosh?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Oshkosh, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (59%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 385th (with 30 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 63% | 1.6 |
| February | 70% | 2.7 |
| March | 70% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 76% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 77% | 4.2 |
| October | 68% | 2.7 |
| November | 66% | 1.8 |
| December | 59% | 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 Oshkosh need?
A normal year in Oshkosh brings 7,352 heating degree days, 37% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 566 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 2,560 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,440 | 0 |
| February | 1,215 | 0 |
| March | 997 | 1 |
| April | 597 | 1 |
| May | 271 | 28 |
| June | 51 | 118 |
| July | 11 | 205 |
| August | 20 | 158 |
| September | 151 | 51 |
| October | 491 | 5 |
| November | 861 | 0 |
| December | 1,246 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,352 | 566 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094855. 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 Oshkosh been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 46.4°F, 0.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.3°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.3°F | +2.0°F | – |
| 2022 | 45.9°F | −0.4°F | 29.86 |
| 2023 | 49.1°F | +2.8°F | – |
| 2024 | 50.4°F | +4.1°F | 36.86 |
| 2025 | 46.4°F | +0.1°F | 27.29 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094855. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Oshkosh's climate compare?
Oshkosh is warmer than 112 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 11. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.3°F is warmer than 25%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Oshkosh 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 Oshkosh share this climate record?
4 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.
- Omro, WI3,644 people · 10 mi NW
- Winneconne, WI2,504 people · 12 mi NW
- Butte des Morts, WI1,053 people · 10 mi NW
- Van Dyne, WI711 people · 7 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.
What do Oshkosh's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Oshkosh. This page uses Oshkosh Wittman Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oshkosh station USC00476330 | 3 mi N | 750 ft | 46.6°F | 10°F | 82°F | 33.3 | 39 | April 24 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Oshkosh's climate
What is the coldest month in Oshkosh?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Oshkosh?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Oshkosh's NOAA station; Oshkosh's own co-op station Oshkosh station records 39 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Oshkosh?
June, with 4.65 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.83 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Oshkosh in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Oshkosh in zone 5b across its 2 ZIP code areas (5b in 54901, the largest). By the same method at Oshkosh's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Oshkosh?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Oshkosh in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Ripon, WI12 miles from this station, 45.1°F a year
- Fond du Lac, WI16 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Berlin, WI19 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Chilton, WI21 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