Madison climate — normals and trends
Madison (United States) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.9 °C and it receives 1,215 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 (22.0 °C on average) and the coldest is January (0.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Madison averages 65 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 119 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 75 to 55 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 31.9 °C (on 22 July 2011) and the coldest -19.6 °C (on 14 February 2016).
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
MadisonConnecticut
- coords
- 41.28°, -72.60°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.9°C
Average daily high
13.3°C
Average daily low
8.5°C
Annual rainfall
1,215mm
Sunshine / day
9.0h
Mean relative humidity
74%
Average peak wind
26.2km/h
Seasonal range
22.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
65 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
119 d/yr
Annual snowfall
64.3 cm
Average feels-like high
11.1 °C
Average feels-like low
4.9 °C
Average peak gust
40.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
37 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.37 · 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
31.9 °C
22 July 2011
Coldest day
-19.6 °C
14 February 2016
Wettest day
163 mm
14 October 2005
Windiest day
81.2 km/h
27 September 1985
Strongest gust
146.5 km/h
27 September 1985
Hottest feels-like
36.0 °C
2 August 1975
Coldest feels-like
-28.6 °C
14 February 2016
Snowiest day
33.7 cm
16 February 1958
Sunniest day
14.5 h
10 June 1957
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 | 1.6 °C | -1.0 °C | 43 mm | -61 mm |
| Feb | 2.8 °C | -0.1 °C | 97 mm | +2 mm |
| Mar | 8.0 °C | +2.2 °C | 125 mm | +9 mm |
| Apr | 11.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 100 mm | -7 mm |
| May | 15.6 °C | +0.2 °C | 200 mm | +99 mm |
| Jun | 21.5 °C | +0.9 °C | 51 mm | -33 mm |
| Jul | 25.9 °C | +1.6 °C | 75 mm | -3 mm |
| Aug | 24.1 °C | 0.0 °C | 55 mm | -42 mm |
| Sep | 22.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 58 mm | -40 mm |
| Oct | 16.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 116 mm | +11 mm |
| Nov | 10.8 °C | -0.1 °C | 61 mm | -51 mm |
| Dec | 4.2 °C | -1.4 °C | 83 mm | -36 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 10.9 °C and it receives 1,215 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 22 July 2011, reaching 31.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Madison?
The coldest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 14 February 2016, at -19.6 °C.
Does it snow in Madison?
Yes. Madison gets on average 64.3 cm of snow per year and has around 65 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 14 October 2005, with 163 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Madison?
The windiest day measured in Madison between 1940 and 2025 was 27 September 1985, with winds reaching 81.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Madison?
The warmest month in Madison is July (22.0 °C on average); the coldest is January (0.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Madison?
Madison receives on average 1,215 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 119 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 16 February 1958, with 33.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Madison?
Yes: Madison has on average 37 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 36.0 °C on 2 August 1975, and the lowest was -28.6 °C on 14 February 2016.
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