Climate · Sauk

Sauk, WI climate

Sauk has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
83°
17th hottest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
January low
10°
476th mildest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Rain + melted snow
36 in
407th wettest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Snow a winter
43 in
771st least snowy of 2,046 Wisconsin towns
A normal year

What a year in Sauk feels like

Winter

31° / 14°
Typical high / low · 15 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

58° / 35°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 4

Summer

81° / 59°
Typical high / low · 9 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

60° / 39°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 6
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Sauk 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
January28°10°1.3" 11.3"822 7° – 32°
February33°14°1.3" 10.1"723 11° – 35°
March45°24°2.1" 5.9"911 26° – 50°
April58°35°3.7" 2.6"112 37° – 53°
May70°47°4.1" 0130 52° – 65°
June80°57°5.3" 0120 65° – 73°
July83°61°4.4" 0100 66° – 79°
August81°59°4.2" 0100 65° – 76°
September74°51°3.5" 0100 56° – 68°
October61°39°2.7" 0.4"100 45° – 56°
November46°28°2.2" 2.1"83 28° – 46°
December33°17°1.6" 10.3"915 11° – 36°
Year58°37°36.4"42.7"11975

“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 Sauk

Sauk gets 36 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 119 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 75 days of the year.

36 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 62% of U.S. towns
43 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 73% of U.S. towns
75 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 80% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.3"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
11"
Frost & the growing season

About 155 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first one by October 6. That leaves about 155 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 76% of U.S. towns.

160
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
25
nights below 0° in a normal year
9
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 Sauk

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sauk, 93% of that work is heating and 7% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

93%heating
7,463 heating degree daysMore heating than 79% of U.S. towns
530 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 74% 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 Sauk

Sauk and its neighbors

Sauk borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.3°. Prairie du Sac has both the coldest January nights (10°) and the hottest July afternoons (83°). Sauk’s January low is 10° and its July high 83°.

Prairie du Sac: January low 10°, July high 83°West Point: January low 10°, July high 83°Sumpter: January low 10°, July high 83°Troy: January low 10°, July high 83°Mazomanie: January low 10°, July high 83°Arena: January low 10°, July high 83°Black Earth: January low 10°, July high 83°Berry: January low 11°, July high 82°Dane: January low 10°, July high 82°Springfield: January low 11°, July high 82°Prairie du Sac: January low 10°, July high 83°Mazomanie: January low 11°, July high 83°Roxbury: January low 10°, July high 82°Sauk City: January low 10°, July high 83° Sauk CityPrairie du SacMazomanieRoxbury
ColderMilder10° to 11°
Prairie du Sac10.2° −0.2°
Sauk City10.4°
Roxbury10.4° same
Mazomanie10.5° +0.1°

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

Compared with other towns

How Sauk compares

Summer heat83° July high
Cooler than 64% of U.S. towns17th hottest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Winter cold10° January low
Colder than 81% of U.S. towns476th mildest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Precipitation36" a year
Drier than 62% of U.S. towns407th wettest of 2,050 Wisconsin towns
Snow43" a winter
Snowier than 73% of U.S. towns771st least snowy of 2,046 Wisconsin towns
Growing season155 frost-free days
Shorter than 76% of U.S. towns784th 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 Sauk averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°). The shift is larger than in 70% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.9° now 23°, was 20°
🌷 Spring+1.4° now 47°, was 45°
☀️ Summer+0.7° now 70°, was 69°
🍂 Fall+1.0° now 50°, was 49°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Sauk’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. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 7° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Sauk’s climate

What is the coldest month in Sauk?

January, with a typical high of 28° and a low of 10°.

What is the hottest month in Sauk?

July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 9 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Sauk get?

About 43 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Sauk?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 6, and the last spring frost by May 4.

What is the rainiest month in Sauk?

June, with 5.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 36 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Sauk itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Baraboo, WI (13 mi, snow) and Sauk City WWTP, WI (1 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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