Rochester, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rochester's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 36.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 28°C, 924 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRochester Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Station IDUSC00477314
- Location42.73°N 88.23°W
- Elevation783 ft (239 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population3,766
On October 14, the normal high in Rochester is 62°F and the normal low 39°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rochester.
- Jan 29° 12°
- Feb 32° 14°
- Mar 43° 24°
- Apr 56° 35°
- May 68° 45°
- Jun 78° 55°
- Jul 82° 60°
- Aug 81° 58°
- Sep 74° 50°
- Oct 61° 39°
- Nov 46° 28°
- Dec 34° 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 Rochester each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.66 in), the least in February (1.70 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29°F | 12°F | 20.2°F | 1.73 | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 32°F | 14°F | 23.2°F | 1.70 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 43°F | 24°F | 33.7°F | 2.15 | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 35°F | 45.2°F | 3.76 | – | <1 | 15 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 45°F | 56.5°F | 3.99 | – | 1 | 2 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 78°F | 55°F | 66.6°F | 4.66 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 60°F | 70.8°F | 3.75 | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 58°F | 69.3°F | 3.77 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 50°F | 61.8°F | 3.62 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 39°F | 49.8°F | 2.95 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 28°F | 37.0°F | 2.38 | – | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 34°F | 18°F | 26.2°F | 1.93 | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 36°F | 46.7°F | 36.39 | – | 9 | 154 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −11°C | −6.6°C | 44 mm |
| February | 0°C | −10°C | −4.9°C | 43 mm |
| March | 6°C | −4°C | 0.9°C | 55 mm |
| April | 13°C | 1°C | 7.3°C | 96 mm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.6°C | 101 mm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 118 mm |
| July | 28°C | 15°C | 21.6°C | 95 mm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.7°C | 96 mm |
| September | 23°C | 10°C | 16.6°C | 92 mm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 9.9°C | 75 mm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C | 60 mm |
| December | 1°C | −8°C | −3.2°C | 49 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Burlington (5 miles away), gets 38 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00477314; 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 Rochester?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00477314.
When is the last frost in Rochester?
In Rochester, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 5 in half of years and after May 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 26 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 51 year in 10 after May 23; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 156 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 24 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rochester in zone 5b in ZIP code 53167.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wisconsin · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00477314; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Rochester?
In a normal year in Rochester, 9 days a year reach 90°F and 154 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a 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
- 53high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00477314.
How sunny is Rochester?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rochester, 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 | 63% | 1.7 |
| February | 67% | 2.6 |
| March | 67% | 3.6 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 76% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 78% | 4.3 |
| October | 69% | 2.8 |
| November | 66% | 1.9 |
| 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 Rochester need?
A normal year in Rochester brings 7,171 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 529 cooling degree days, 42% 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 2,521 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,389 | 0 |
| February | 1,172 | 0 |
| March | 971 | 1 |
| April | 595 | 1 |
| May | 286 | 22 |
| June | 52 | 102 |
| July | 13 | 191 |
| August | 20 | 152 |
| September | 153 | 57 |
| October | 476 | 4 |
| November | 842 | 0 |
| December | 1,204 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,171 | 529 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00477314. 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 Rochester been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 47.0°F, 0.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 46.7°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 46.1°F | −0.6°F | 31.72 |
| 2023 | 49.1°F | +2.4°F | 33.35 |
| 2024 | 51.1°F | +4.4°F | 40.57 |
| 2025 | 47.0°F | +0.3°F | 35.33 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00477314. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rochester's climate compare?
Rochester is warmer than 130 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 117. 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, Rochester 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 Rochester share this climate record?
7 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.
- Mukwonago, WI8,512 people · 10 mi NW
- Waterford, WI5,885 people · 3 mi N
- Tichigan, WI5,173 people · 6 mi N
- Wind Lake, WI5,028 people · 8 mi NE
- East Troy, WI5,011 people · 10 mi NW
- Browns Lake, WI1,766 people · 3 mi S
- Potter Lake, WI766 people · 9 mi NW
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 Rochester's climate
What is the coldest month in Rochester?
January, with a normal high of 29°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Rochester?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Rochester's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Burlington (5 miles away), records 38 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Rochester?
June, with 4.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.70 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rochester in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rochester in zone 5b in ZIP code 53167.
How late can frost come in Rochester?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 5; 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
- Burlington, WI6 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Union Grove, WI10 miles from this station, 46.4°F a year
- Paddock Lake, WI12 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Lake Geneva, WI14 miles from this station, 49.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made