Milwaukee, Wisconsin Weather Records and Averages

Milwaukee possesses a continental climate characterized by a wide range of temperatures between summer and winter. Precipitation is moderate and occurs mostly in the spring, less in the autumn and very little in the wintertime. 

Milwaukee is in a region of frequently changeable weather and its climate is influenced by general easterly–moving storms which traverse the nations midsection. The most severe winter storms, which produce in excess of 10 inches of snow, develop in the southern Great Plains and move northeast across Illinois and Indiana.

Occasionally during the cold season, frigid air masses from Canada push southeast across the Great Lakes region. These arctic air masses account for the coldest winter temperatures. Very low temperatures of zero degrees or lower most often occur in air that flows southward to the west of Lake Superior before reaching the Milwaukee area. If northwesterly wind circulation persists, repeated incursions of arctic air will result in a period of bitterly cold weather lasting several days.

Summer temperatures, which reach into the 90s but rarely exceed 100 degrees, occur with brisk southwest winds that carry hot air from the Plains and lower Mississippi River Valley across the city. A combination of high temperatures and humidity occasionally develops, usually building up over a period of several days when persistent southerly winds transport moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the area.

The Gulf of Mexico is a major source of moisture for Milwaukee in all seasons, but the type of precipitation which results is dependent upon the time of year. Cold–season precipitation (rain, snow, or a mixture) is usually of relatively long duration and low intensity, and occasionally persists for two days or more, whereas in the warm season, relatively short–duration and high–intensity showery rainfall, usually lasting a few hours or less, predominates.

The influence of Lake Michigan is variable and occasionally dramatic, especially when the temperature of the lake water differs strongly from the air temperature. During the spring and early summer, a wind shift from a westerly to an easterly direction frequently causes a sudden 10 to 20 degree temperature drop. When the breeze off the lake is light, this effect reaches inland only a mile or two. With stronger on–shore winds, the entire city is cooled. In the winter the relatively warm water of the lake moderates the temperature during easterly wind situations. Lake–induced snows usually occur a few times each winter, but snow accumulation is rarely heavy.

Temperature + Precipitation

  Monthly Averages Daily Extremes Monthly Extremes Max. Temp. Min. Temp.  
Temperatures
 in F
Max. Min. Avg High Date of 
daily extreme
 high
Low Date of
daily extreme
low
Highest
Avg
Year Lowest
Avg
Year # Days >=
90 F
# Days <=
32 F
# Days <=
32 F
# Days<=
0 F
January 28.0 13.7 20.9 63 07/2008 -26 17/1982 34.0 2006 8.3 1977 0.0 19.1 29.3 5.7
February 31.7 17.6 24.6 65 27/1976 -26 03/1996 34.5 1998 15.1 1979 0.0 14.2 26.1 2.6
March 41.1 26.3 33.7 82 29/1986 -10 01/1962 41.9 2000 21.5 1960 0.0 6.2 23.3 0.3
April 53.8 36.5 45.2 91 22/1980 12 07/1982 51.0 2010 37.7 1975 0.0 0.4 8.6 0.0
May 65.1 45.7 55.4 93 28/1991 21 10/1966 63.2 1991 49.5 1966 0.2 0.0 0.7 0.0
June 75.6 56.1 65.8 101 14/1987 36 01/1966 72.2 1987 58.9 1969 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
July 80.4 62.4 71.4 103 13/1995 40 01/1965 76.7 1955 66.6 1962 3.6 0.0 0.0 0.0
August 78.8 61.8 70.3 103 01/1988 44 20/1950 76.3 1955 65.6 1950 2.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
September 71.5 53.7 62.6 98 01/1953 28 23/1974 68.6 2005 58.0 1962 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.0
October 59.9 42.7 51.3 89 06/1963 18 24/1981 58.6 1963 45.6 1980 0.0 0.0 3.4 0.0
November 45.5 31.0 38.2 77 01/1950 -5 24/1950 47.4 2001 29.4 1959 0.0 2.9 17.0 0.1
December 32.8 19.3 26.0 64 03/1998 -20 24/1983 34.5 1994 13.2 1963 0.0 13.9 27.4 2.3
Annual 55.3 38.9 47.1 103 1988/08/01 -26 1982/01/17 50.8 1998 43.6 1972 9.4 56.5 136.0 11.0
Winter 30.8 16.9 23.8 65 1976/02/27 -26 1982/01/17 31.5 2002 15.3 1963 0.0 47.1 82.8 10.7
Spring 53.3 36.2 44.8 93 1991/05/28 -10 1962/03/01 50.3 1991 40.2 1971 0.2 6.5 32.6 0.3
Summer 78.2 60.1 69.2 103 1988/08/01 36 1966/06/01 73.8 1995 65.4 1960 8.4 0.0 0.0 0.0
Fall 59.0 42.4 50.7 98 1953/09/01 -5 1950/11/24 55.7 1994 46.0 1976 0.8 2.9 20.6 0.1

Precipitation

    Total Snowfall
  Avg. High Year Low Year 1 Day Max. >=
0.01 in.
>=
0.10 in.
>=
0.50 in.
>=
1.00 in.
Mean High Year
  in. in. - in. - in. dd/yyyy
or
yyyymmdd
# Days # Days # Days # Days in. in. -
January 1.72 4.38 1999 0.31 1961 1.54 19/1988 11 5 1 0 13.2 33.6 1979
February 1.49 3.94 1986 0.05 1969 1.67 10/1960 10 4 1 0 10.5 42.0 1974
March 2.43 6.93 1976 0.31 1968 2.31 04/1976 12 6 2 0 8.3 30.3 1965
April 3.42 7.31 1973 1.31 1971 3.01 24/1976 12 7 2 1 1.9 15.8 1973
May 3.00 8.42 2000 0.50 1988 2.15 22/1991 11 7 2 1 0.1 3.2 1990
June 3.76 12.27 2008 0.70 1988 4.93 07/2008 11 6 3 1 0.0 0.4 2005
July 3.62 10.93 2010 0.71 2009 5.61 22/2010 10 6 2 1 - - -
August 3.44 9.05 1987 0.46 1948 6.81 06/1986 9 6 2 1 - - -
September 2.96 9.41 1961 0.02 1979 2.96 11/2000 9 5 2 1 - - -
October 2.38 7.03 1991 0.15 1956 2.33 24/1991 9 5 2 0 - - -
November 2.32 7.11 1985 0.36 2007 2.22 10/1998 10 5 1 0 2.8 16.1 1977
December 2.06 5.42 1987 0.29 1976 2.24 02/1982 11 5 1 0 10.7 35.3 2008
 
Annual 32.59 44.44 2008 19.10 1963 6.81 1986/08/06 126 67 20 6 47.8 106.6 2008
 
Winter 5.27 10.51 1974 1.53 2003 2.24 1982/12/02 33 14 3 1 34.5 78.9 2008
Spring 8.84 15.71 1976 4.23 1994 3.01 1976/04/24 35 19 6 2 10.3 34.4 1965
Summer 10.82 19.48 1986 4.44 1958 6.81 1986/08/06 30 19 7 3 0.0 0.4 2005
Fall 7.66 15.94 1985 2.07 1956 2.96 2000/09/11 29 16 5 2 3.0 17.9 1989
Wisconsin averages and extremes in precipitation and temperature and Top 10 U.S climate extremes.
Winter = Dec, Jan, and Feb Spring = Mar, Apr, and May
Summer = Jun, Jul, and Aug. Fall = Sep, Oct, and Nov
Data period is 1948 - 2010, Milwaukee Airport.  Source: Western Regional Climate Center