Climate · Dane

Dane, WI climate

Dane has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
640th hottest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
January low
10°
536th mildest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Rain + melted snow
38 in
184th wettest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Snow a winter
39 in
336th least snowy of 2,046 Wisconsin towns
A normal year

What a year in Dane feels like

Winter

30° / 14°
Typical high / low · 13 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

56° / 35°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 1

Summer

80° / 59°
Typical high / low · 16 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

59° / 39°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 10
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Dane weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January27°10°1.4" 10.1"820 7° – 31°
February31°14°1.4" 10.6"819 11° – 34°
March43°24°2.2" 5.5"98 25° – 49°
April57°35°3.8" 1.6"131 37° – 52°
May69°46°4.2" 0140 51° – 64°
June78°57°5.5" 0120 64° – 72°
July82°61°4.6" 0100 65° – 78°
August80°58°4.2" 0100 64° – 75°
September73°51°3.6" 0100 55° – 67°
October59°39°2.9" 0.3"100 44° – 55°
November44°28°2.2" 2.2"82 27° – 45°
December32°17°1.7" 8.2"912 10° – 35°
Year56°36°37.6"38.5"12162

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Dane

Dane gets 38 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 62 days of the year.

38 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 58% of U.S. towns
39 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 68% of U.S. towns
62 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 73% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.5"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
11"
Frost & the growing season

About 162 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first one by October 10. That leaves about 162 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 69% of U.S. towns.

154
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
23
nights below 0° in a normal year
16
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Dane

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Dane, 92% of that work is heating and 8% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

92%heating
7,137 heating degree daysMore heating than 75% of U.S. towns
661 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 64% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Around Dane

Dane and its neighbors

Dane borders 7 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.5°. Lodi has the coldest January nights (10°) and West Point the hottest July afternoons (83°). Dane’s January low is 10° and its July high 82°.

Prairie du Sac: January low 10°, July high 83°Sauk City: January low 10°, July high 83°Mazomanie: January low 11°, July high 83°Middleton: January low 11°, July high 82°Middleton: January low 11°, July high 82°Westport: January low 11°, July high 82°DeForest: January low 10°, July high 83°Arlington: January low 10°, July high 82°Dekorra: January low 10°, July high 83°Merrimac: January low 10°, July high 83°Prairie du Sac: January low 10°, July high 83°Merrimac: January low 10°, July high 83°Caledonia: January low 10°, July high 82°Cross Plains: January low 11°, July high 82°Cross Plains: January low 11°, July high 82°Black Earth: January low 10°, July high 83°Dane: January low 10°, July high 82°Roxbury: January low 10°, July high 82°Springfield: January low 11°, July high 82°Vienna: January low 10°, July high 82°Lodi: January low 10°, July high 82°West Point: January low 10°, July high 83°Berry: January low 11°, July high 82°Dane: January low 10°, July high 82° DaneDaneRoxburySpringfieldViennaLodiWest PointBerry
ColderMilder10° to 11°
Lodi10.0° −0.2°
Dane10.1° −0.1°
Vienna10.1° −0.1°
Dane10.2°
West Point10.2° same
Roxbury10.4° +0.2°
Springfield10.5° +0.3°
Berry10.5° +0.3°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Dane compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 77% of U.S. towns640th hottest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Winter cold10° January low
Colder than 81% of U.S. towns536th mildest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Precipitation38" a year
Drier than 58% of U.S. towns184th wettest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Snow39" a winter
Snowier than 68% of U.S. towns336th least snowy of 2,046 Wisconsin towns
Growing season162 frost-free days
Shorter than 69% of U.S. towns434th longest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Dane averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°). The shift is larger than in 70% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.8° now 22°, was 19°
🌷 Spring+1.3° now 46°, was 44°
☀️ Summer+0.7° now 69°, was 68°
🍂 Fall+1.1° now 49°, was 48°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Dane’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 10° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Dane’s climate

What is the coldest month in Dane?

January, with a typical high of 27° and a low of 10°.

What is the hottest month in Dane?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 16 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Dane get?

About 39 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Dane?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 10, and the last spring frost by May 1.

What is the rainiest month in Dane?

June, with 5.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 38 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Dane itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Charmany Farm, WI (13 mi, snow) and Lodi, WI (6 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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