Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Baileys Harbor has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 13°. Its January nights bite harder than in 89% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.5° higher. From June to September, highs of 68–77° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Baileys Harbor at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Baileys Harbor’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Baileys Harbor’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Baileys Harbor feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 155 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI, 7 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Baileys Harbor’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 62 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 117 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Baileys Harbor
96% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI.
Living with Baileys Harbor’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
155 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 7.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Baileys Harbor from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Baileys Harbor and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Baileys Harbor in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Baileys Harbor’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baileys Harbor, WI | 13° | 77° | 31" | 62" |
| Alpena, MI | 14° | 78° | 31" | 59" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Hamlin, NY | 18° | 80° | 34" | 67" |
| Milton, VT | 10° | 80° | 40" | 50" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Baileys Harbor averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 62% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Baileys Harbor compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Baileys Harbor’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Baileys Harbor weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Baileys Harbor’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 13° | 1.7" | 16.8" | 9 | 28 | 9° – 30° |
| February | 29° | 14° | 1.3" | 14.1" | 7 | 25 | 10° – 32° |
| March | 38° | 22° | 1.8" | 7.9" | 7 | 16 | 20° – 42° |
| April | 49° | 32° | 2.9" | 6.4" | 9 | 5 | 33° – 46° |
| May | 61° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| June | 71° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 77° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 76° | 58° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 68° | 51° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 41° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 14 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 42° | 31° | 2.3" | 2.5" | 9 | 3 | 29° – 44° |
| December | 32° | 21° | 2.0" | 13.8" | 10 | 18 | 17° – 36° |
| Year | 52° | 36° | 31.4" | 61.6" | 117 | 95 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Baileys Harbor’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Baileys Harbor’s center.
- Snow: Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI, 7 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Baileys Harbor’s climate
What is the weather like in Baileys Harbor?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 62 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 98% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Baileys Harbor in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Baileys Harbor get?
About 62 inches in a normal winter at Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 95 days a year.
How hot does it get in Baileys Harbor?
July, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 59°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Baileys Harbor?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 155 frost-free days, at Ephraim 1ne-wwtp, WI.
What growing zone is Baileys Harbor in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Baileys Harbor?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Baileys Harbor getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Baileys Harbor.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.