Wausau, Wisconsin climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Wausau's normal year runs from 7°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 33.9 inches of precipitation and 64 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.4°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 27°C, 861 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWausau Asos
- Station IDUSW00014897
- Location44.93°N 89.63°W
- Elevation1,181 ft (360 m)
- Population40,262
On October 14, the normal high in Wausau is 57°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 35%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Wausau.
- Jan 23° 7°
- Feb 27° 10°
- Mar 40° 21°
- Apr 54° 32°
- May 67° 45°
- Jun 76° 55°
- Jul 80° 59°
- Aug 78° 57°
- Sep 70° 49°
- Oct 56° 37°
- Nov 40° 25°
- Dec 28° 14°
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 Wausau each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 7°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.67 in), the least in February (1.08 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. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 7°F | 14.8°F | 1.20 | 14.8 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 27°F | 10°F | 18.5°F | 1.08 | 12.7 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 21°F | 30.1°F | 1.83 | 8.3 | 9 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 32°F | 43.1°F | 3.12 | 6.5 | 12 | <1 | 15 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 45°F | 55.8°F | 3.79 | 0.2 | 13 | <1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 55°F | 65.4°F | 4.67 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 80°F | 59°F | 69.5°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 57°F | 67.4°F | 4.07 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 49°F | 59.2°F | 3.83 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 37°F | 46.3°F | 3.07 | 0.9 | 11 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 25°F | 32.8°F | 1.85 | 6.5 | 10 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 14°F | 20.7°F | 1.54 | 14.4 | 11 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 34°F | 43.6°F | 33.91 | 64.3 | 131 | 5 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −14°C | −9.6°C | 30 mm | 38 cm |
| February | −3°C | −12°C | −7.5°C | 27 mm | 32 cm |
| March | 4°C | −6°C | −1.1°C | 46 mm | 21 cm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.2°C | 79 mm | 17 cm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.2°C | 96 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 18.6°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 19.7°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 97 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 13°C | 3°C | 7.9°C | 78 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.4°C | 47 mm | 17 cm |
| December | −2°C | −10°C | −6.3°C | 39 mm | 37 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014897; 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 Wausau?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USW00014897.
When is the last frost in Wausau?
In Wausau, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 21 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 61 year in 10 after May 21; 9 in 10 after April 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 150 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 173 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Wausau in zone 4b in ZIP code 54401. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Wausau's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Wisconsin · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014897; 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 Wausau?
In a normal year in Wausau, 5 days a year reach 90°F, 163 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 131 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 163a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 131a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 20a normal year
The highest temperature in Wausau's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1895) is 107°F, on July 13, 1936; the lowest is −40°F, on January 30, 1951.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1938, with 48.72 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 100.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014897; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record AUWthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Wausau, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 58°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 59°F; the driest air comes in January (10°F). April is the windiest month (8.5 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (61%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°F | 72% | 61% | 7.3 mph | 44% | 45% |
| February | 14°F | 69% | 56% | 7.6 mph | 47% | 43% |
| March | 25°F | 63% | 46% | 8.2 mph | 48% | 38% |
| April | 34°F | 56% | 39% | 8.5 mph | 50% | 34% |
| May | 49°F | 64% | 46% | 7.2 mph | 52% | 29% |
| June | 58°F | 68% | 50% | 7.2 mph | 58% | 21% |
| July | 59°F | 71% | 50% | 6.5 mph | 60% | 19% |
| August | 56°F | 73% | 51% | 6.5 mph | 61% | 20% |
| September | 44°F | 73% | 52% | 7.5 mph | 56% | 30% |
| October | 31°F | 71% | 55% | 7.9 mph | 47% | 42% |
| November | 20°F | 76% | 65% | 8.0 mph | 40% | 49% |
| December | 11°F | 76% | 67% | 7.7 mph | 45% | 44% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014897. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Wausau?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Wausau, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 1.8 |
| February | 75% | 2.8 |
| March | 73% | 3.9 |
| April | 68% | 4.6 |
| May | 70% | 5.5 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.1 |
| October | 67% | 2.6 |
| November | 64% | 1.7 |
| December | 60% | 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 Wausau need?
A normal year in Wausau brings 8,174 heating degree days, 52% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 422 cooling degree days, 53% 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 2,238 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,558 | 0 |
| February | 1,303 | 0 |
| March | 1,082 | 0 |
| April | 660 | 1 |
| May | 305 | 21 |
| June | 78 | 88 |
| July | 21 | 161 |
| August | 40 | 114 |
| September | 209 | 35 |
| October | 580 | 2 |
| November | 966 | 0 |
| December | 1,373 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,174 | 422 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014897. 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 Wausau been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 44.6°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 43.6°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47.4°F | +3.8°F | 42.73 | 51.7 |
| 2022 | 44.5°F | +0.9°F | 32.49 | 62.4 |
| 2023 | 47.2°F | +3.6°F | 33.15 | 70.1 |
| 2024 | 47.9°F | +4.3°F | 40.92 | 37.9 |
| 2025 | 44.6°F | +1.0°F | 34.80 | 68.2 |
Over 116 complete years from 1896 to 2025, 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 USW00014897; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Wausau's climate compare?
Wausau is warmer than 47 of the other 164 places with their own NOAA record in Wisconsin, and wetter than 59. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.6°F is warmer than 14%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Wausau 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 Wausau share this climate record?
9 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.
- Weston, WI15,866 people · 4 mi SE
- Kronenwetter, WI8,435 people · 8 mi S
- Rib Mountain, WI7,275 people · 3 mi SW
- Rothschild, WI5,629 people · 4 mi S
- Mosinee, WI4,531 people · 10 mi S
- Schofield, WI2,291 people · 1 mi S
- Marathon City, WI1,551 people · 11 mi W
- Edgar, WI1,430 people · 16 mi W
- Knowlton, WI71 people · 15 mi S
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 Wausau's climate
What is the coldest month in Wausau?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 7°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Wausau?
Yes: 64 inches in a normal year, falling on 47 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (14.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Wausau?
June, with 4.67 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.08 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Wausau in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Wausau in zone 4b in ZIP code 54401. By the same method at Wausau's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Wausau?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 21. Waiting until May 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Wausau in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Wisconsin climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Merrill, WI17 miles from this station, 42.1°F a year
- Rosholt, WI22 miles from this station, 44.3°F a year
- Stevens Point, WI29 miles from this station, 44.1°F a year
- Antigo, WI30 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made