Platteville, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Platteville's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 40.0 inches of precipitation and 43 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.2°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,015 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPlatteville
- Station IDUSC00476646
- Location42.75°N 90.47°W
- Elevation990 ft (302 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population11,833
On October 23, the normal high in Platteville is 57°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Platteville.
- Jan 26° 10°
- Feb 31° 14°
- Mar 43° 25°
- Apr 57° 35°
- May 69° 47°
- Jun 78° 58°
- Jul 82° 62°
- Aug 80° 60°
- Sep 73° 51°
- Oct 60° 39°
- Nov 45° 28°
- Dec 32° 17°
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 Platteville each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.97 in), the least in January (1.22 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F | 10°F | 17.8°F | 1.22 | 11.0 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 31°F | 14°F | 22.3°F | 1.47 | 9.8 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 25°F | 34.1°F | 2.09 | 6.1 | 9 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 35°F | 46.3°F | 3.95 | 1.6 | 11 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 47°F | 57.9°F | 4.65 | 0.1 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 58°F | 68.2°F | 5.97 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 62°F | 71.8°F | 5.29 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 60°F | 70.0°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 73°F | 51°F | 62.2°F | 4.25 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 39°F | 49.7°F | 2.82 | 0.4 | 10 | <1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 45°F | 28°F | 36.3°F | 2.25 | 1.9 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 32°F | 17°F | 24.2°F | 1.79 | 11.9 | 9 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 37°F | 46.7°F | 39.98 | 42.8 | 119 | 6 | 154 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −12°C | −7.9°C | 31 mm | 28 cm |
| February | −1°C | −10°C | −5.4°C | 37 mm | 25 cm |
| March | 6°C | −4°C | 1.2°C | 53 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 7.9°C | 100 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 14.4°C | 118 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 15°C | 20.1°C | 152 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.1°C | 134 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 9.8°C | 72 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 7°C | −2°C | 2.4°C | 57 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 0°C | −8°C | −4.3°C | 45 mm | 30 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00476646; 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 Platteville?
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 USC00476646.
When is the last frost in Platteville?
In Platteville, 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 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 131 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 166 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 187 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 17 in half of springs and before October 22 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Platteville in zone 5a in ZIP code 53818, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Platteville's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (19 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 USC00476646; 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 Platteville?
In a normal year in Platteville, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 154 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 119 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
- 154a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 64high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 119a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1943) is 103°F, on August 17, 1988; the lowest is −32°F, on February 3, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2008, with 48.95 in; the snowiest season is 2007–08, with 86.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00476646; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00476646. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Platteville?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Platteville, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.8 |
| February | 71% | 2.8 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 70% | 2.9 |
| November | 68% | 2.0 |
| December | 61% | 1.4 |
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 Platteville need?
A normal year in Platteville brings 7,260 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 634 cooling degree days, 30% 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 2,688 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,463 | 0 |
| February | 1,197 | 0 |
| March | 960 | 0 |
| April | 565 | 2 |
| May | 253 | 32 |
| June | 45 | 142 |
| July | 8 | 219 |
| August | 18 | 171 |
| September | 144 | 60 |
| October | 482 | 8 |
| November | 861 | 0 |
| December | 1,266 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,260 | 634 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00476646. 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.
How does Platteville's climate compare?
Platteville is warmer than 130 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 157. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.7°F is warmer than 26%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Platteville is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 Platteville share this climate record?
5 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.
- Belmont, WI1,033 people · 7 mi E
- Montfort, WI729 people · 15 mi N
- Livingston, WI637 people · 11 mi N
- Rewey, WI252 people · 7 mi NE
- Sageville, IA104 people · 18 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 Platteville's climate
What is the coldest month in Platteville?
January, with a normal high of 26°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Platteville?
Yes: 43 inches in a normal year, falling on 25 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (11.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Platteville?
June, with 5.97 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.22 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Platteville in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Platteville in zone 5a in ZIP code 53818, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Platteville's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Platteville?
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
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lancaster, WI17 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Darlington, WI19 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- Dodgeville, WI23 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Galena, IL24 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made