Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Balsam Lake has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 81°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 89% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 4 to October 8.
A year in Balsam Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Balsam Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Balsam Lake’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Balsam Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at St Croix Falls, WI, 8 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Balsam Lake’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −24°. 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 61 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Luck, WI, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Balsam Lake
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at St Croix Falls, WI.
Living with Balsam Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 8.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Balsam Lake from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Balsam Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Balsam Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Balsam Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balsam Lake, WI | 4° | 81° | 33" | 61" |
| Iron Mountain, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Fairmont, MN | 7° | 83° | 32" | 47" |
| Peru, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 50" |
| Clear Lake, IA | 7° | 82° | 36" | 44" |
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 Balsam Lake averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 72% 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 Balsam Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Balsam Lake’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Balsam Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Balsam Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Luck, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 4° | 0.9" | 9.8" | 8 | 29 | 0° – 26° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 1.0" | 12.6" | 7 | 25 | 5° – 31° |
| March | 40° | 20° | 1.6" | 9.0" | 8 | 18 | 21° – 44° |
| April | 55° | 32° | 2.8" | 4.6" | 10 | 3 | 33° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 44° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| August | 78° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 49° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 3.1" | 1.3" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 40° | 24° | 1.8" | 8.4" | 8 | 8 | 22° – 43° |
| December | 27° | 12° | 1.2" | 15.3" | 9 | 24 | 5° – 29° |
| Year | 53° | 33° | 33.0" | 61.2" | 115 | 108 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 5° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Balsam Lake’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 Balsam Lake’s center.
- Snow: Luck, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Croix Falls, WI, 8 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft lower; 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 Balsam Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Balsam Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 151 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Balsam Lake in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 169 nights a year reach 32° or below and 37 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 0°.
How much snow does Balsam Lake get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter at Luck, WI, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 108 days a year.
How hot does it get in Balsam Lake?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (St Croix Falls, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Balsam Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 156 frost-free days, at St Croix Falls, WI.
What growing zone is Balsam Lake in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −24°.
What is the best time of year to visit Balsam Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Balsam Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Balsam Lake.
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.