Madison climate — normals and trends
Madison (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,278 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (26.2 °C on average) and the coldest is January (4.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Madison averages 48 frost days, 69 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 124 rainy days per year.
Madison has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 53 to 43 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.8 °C (on 27 July 1952) and the coldest -27.5 °C (on 21 January 1985).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
MadisonAlabama
- coords
- 34.70°, -86.75°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.0°C
Average daily high
21.1°C
Average daily low
11.3°C
Annual rainfall
1,278mm
Sunshine / day
9.0h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
14.4km/h
Seasonal range
21.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
48 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
69 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
124 d/yr
Annual snowfall
9.3 cm
Average feels-like high
21.1 °C
Average feels-like low
10.2 °C
Average peak gust
33.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
86 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.30 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.8 °C
27 July 1952
Coldest day
-27.5 °C
21 January 1985
Wettest day
180 mm
5 September 2011
Windiest day
44.4 km/h
30 August 2005
Strongest gust
114.5 km/h
30 August 2005
Hottest feels-like
43.5 °C
4 August 2010
Coldest feels-like
-33.0 °C
21 January 1985
Snowiest day
18.5 cm
13 February 1960
Sunniest day
14.0 h
20 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.1 °C | -1.2 °C | 96 mm | -32 mm |
| Feb | 14.6 °C | +2.8 °C | 121 mm | -6 mm |
| Mar | 19.8 °C | +3.5 °C | 144 mm | -5 mm |
| Apr | 23.8 °C | +2.4 °C | 139 mm | +16 mm |
| May | 25.0 °C | -0.7 °C | 225 mm | +122 mm |
| Jun | 29.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 157 mm | +73 mm |
| Jul | 32.2 °C | +1.2 °C | 46 mm | -54 mm |
| Aug | 30.5 °C | -0.3 °C | 59 mm | -17 mm |
| Sep | 29.8 °C | +2.0 °C | 49 mm | -37 mm |
| Oct | 23.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 101 mm | +26 mm |
| Nov | 17.8 °C | +2.0 °C | 69 mm | -34 mm |
| Dec | 12.4 °C | +1.4 °C | 63 mm | -63 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Madison?
Madison has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,278 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Madison?
The hottest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 27 July 1952, reaching 39.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Madison?
The coldest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 21 January 1985, at -27.5 °C.
Does it snow in Madison?
Yes. Madison gets on average 9.3 cm of snow per year and has around 48 frost days.
Has the climate of Madison warmed?
Yes: Madison warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Madison?
The wettest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 5 September 2011, with 180 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Madison?
The windiest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 30 August 2005, with winds reaching 44.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Madison?
The warmest month in Madison is July (26.2 °C on average); the coldest is January (4.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Madison?
Madison receives on average 1,278 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 124 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Madison?
Madison gets on average 9.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,285 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Madison?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 13 February 1960, with 18.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Madison?
Yes: Madison has on average 86 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Madison?
In Madison, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.5 °C on 4 August 2010, and the lowest was -33.0 °C on 21 January 1985.
Compare Madison with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Madison