Wisconsin Dells, WI Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Wisconsin Dells's primary NOAA station, WISCONSIN DELLS.
The climate verdict for Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 46°F. Its climate comfort score of 59/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 46°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 59/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 37.5"
- annual precipitation · 41" snow
- 148 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Wisconsin Dells: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00479319 · Wisconsin Dells, WI 46°F mean · 37.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,509
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Chilton
- PRCP-MID 37.5"
- SWING-WIDE 54°F
- COMF-MID 59/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,570 HDD
- STN-1 USC00479319
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Chilton, WI (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every WI station list.
- Wisconsin Dells (this station) 46°F
- Cold Montello, WI 46°F
- Hot Alma Dam, WI 46°F
- Near Chilton, WI 46°F
- Near La Crosse, WI 46°F
Climate Living Index · Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Dells: 39/100 · grade F
Wisconsin Dells publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Wisconsin Dells, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 59/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 37.5 in · 2.5 from 35 in | 91/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 166 calendar days | 35/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 40.7 inches/year | 27/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 148 days/year | 24/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 45.7°F · 21.8° from 67.5°F | 22/100 · F |
Wisconsin Dells · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Wisconsin Dells is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 17.2°F and warmest-month mean 71.0°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 71.0°F
- Coldest month
- 17.2°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Wisconsin Dells sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Wisconsin Dells's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 78%
- Among 6,861 stations, Wisconsin Dells sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 52nd percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 90%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Wisconsin Dells is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Wisconsin Dells compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Wisconsin Dells's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
59 37th percentile score exceeds 37% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Wisconsin Dells's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 74 complete annual observations from 1923 to 2025, WISCONSIN DELLS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.14°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Wisconsin Dells primary station fitted change +0.14 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26°F (-3°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 1.3" | 11.5" | 30.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 31°F (0°C) | 11°F (-12°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 1.4" | 10.2" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 43°F (6°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 2.3" | 5.9" | 26.0 | 0.0 |
| April | 57°F (14°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 4.1" | 2.0" | 15.9 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 4.4" | 0.0" | 2.7 | 0.5 |
| June | 79°F (26°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| July | 83°F (28°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| August | 81°F (27°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 1.2 | 1.0 |
| October | 60°F (15°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.8" | 0.4" | 11.8 | 0.0 |
| November | 44°F (7°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 2.2" | 2.0" | 23.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 32°F (0°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 1.8" | 8.7" | 29.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 83°F around July 10, short of 90°F on every date, while 166 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 7°F near January 24.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 12, then returns to freezing around October 30, covering 166 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 8, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is February 16 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 111 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 23 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 25°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Wisconsin Dells.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 11.5"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.2"
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
8.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.0"
10.8 days with precipitation
12.0 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
9.5 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
9.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.0"
8.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.7"
9.0 days with precipitation
Wisconsin Dells runs a summer-peaked wet season
36% of Wisconsin Dells's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 5.1", on a wide 53.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, August, taking 37% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 1.3".
- Winter share: 12% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Wisconsin Dells's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 111 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 37.5" between them, or roughly 0.34 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Dells averages 40.7 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 24 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 40.7 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 24 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 11% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 8
50% probability date
Growing Season
148 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,570
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
563
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside WI closest to Wisconsin Dells on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (46°F here).
- Alpine, AZ 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Bison, SD 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Brunswick, ME 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Canton, SD 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (37.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Congerville, IL 37.5" · 0.0" off
- Albany, MO 37.5" · 0.0" off
- Fremont, MI 37.5" · 0.0" off
- Woodburn, IN 37.5" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Wisconsin Dells
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Wisconsin Dells's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,570 annual heating degree days against 563 for cooling. Its 53.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 148 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Wisconsin Dells coldest normal
January
Averaging 17°F (-8°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Wisconsin Dells typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Wisconsin Dells snow peak
January
Wisconsin Dells averages 40.7 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Wisconsin Dells's climate
How much snow does Wisconsin Dells get? ▼
How cold does Wisconsin Dells get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Wisconsin Dells? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Wisconsin Dells's primary station: WISCONSIN DELLS (USC00479319). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 5588150). Match rule for Wisconsin Dells: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Wisconsin Dells comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.