Photo: Royalbroil - · CC BY-SA 3.0Caledonia has cooler summers than 84% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 15°. A year here swings 66° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In January, nights here are colder than in 84% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 24, with the first autumn frost due around October 24.
A year in Caledonia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Caledonia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Caledonia’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Caledonia feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Racine Batten Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Caledonia’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Racine, WI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Caledonia
91% 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 Racine Batten Airport.
Living with Caledonia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 22 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Caledonia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Caledonia and its neighbors
Raymond has the coldest January nights next door (14°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Caledonia’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caledonia, WI | 15° | 82° | 35" | 41" |
| Corning, NY | 15° | 81° | 36" | 47" |
| Haslett, MI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 46" |
| Kendallville, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 36" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Caledonia averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Caledonia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Caledonia’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Caledonia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Caledonia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Racine, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 15° | 1.7" | 13.3" | 10 | 19 | 13° – 34° |
| February | 33° | 18° | 1.6" | 10.9" | 8 | 15 | 14° – 36° |
| March | 43° | 27° | 2.1" | 5.5" | 10 | 6 | 28° – 48° |
| April | 55° | 36° | 3.8" | 1.0" | 12 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| May | 67° | 46° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 53° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 31° | 2.2" | 1.9" | 9 | 2 | 30° – 47° |
| December | 35° | 21° | 1.9" | 8.4" | 10 | 9 | 16° – 37° |
| Year | 57° | 39° | 34.5" | 41.0" | 120 | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Caledonia’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 Caledonia’s center.
- Snow: Racine, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Racine Batten Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Caledonia’s climate
What is the weather like in Caledonia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Caledonia in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 126 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Caledonia get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Racine, WI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.
How hot does it get in Caledonia?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Racine Batten Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Caledonia?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 180 frost-free days, at Racine Batten Airport.
What growing zone is Caledonia in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Caledonia?
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 Caledonia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Caledonia.
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.