Photo: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5Cato’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cato at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cato’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cato’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Cato feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Manitowoc, WI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cato’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Brillion, WI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cato
95% 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 Manitowoc, WI.
Living with Cato’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cato from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cato and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cato in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cato’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cato, WI | 11° | 80° | 33" | 43" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 80° | 34" | 50" |
| Lakeville, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 41" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 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 Cato averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
A bigger shift than in 69% 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 Cato compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cato’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Cato weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cato’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Brillion, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 11° | 1.5" | 12.2" | 9 | 24 | 7° – 30° |
| February | 29° | 14° | 1.2" | 9.7" | 8 | 21 | 10° – 32° |
| March | 40° | 23° | 2.0" | 5.6" | 8 | 10 | 24° – 45° |
| April | 53° | 33° | 3.3" | 2.7" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 44° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 75° | 54° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| August | 78° | 58° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 50° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 43° | 28° | 2.2" | 2.2" | 9 | 3 | 27° – 43° |
| December | 31° | 18° | 1.7" | 10.5" | 10 | 16 | 13° – 35° |
| Year | 54° | 36° | 32.8" | 43.2" | 121 | 76 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Cato’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 Cato’s center.
- Snow: Brillion, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Manitowoc, WI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 260 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 Cato’s climate
What is the weather like in Cato?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cato in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Cato get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Brillion, WI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 76 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cato?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 59°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Manitowoc, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Cato?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 171 frost-free days, at Manitowoc, WI.
What growing zone is Cato in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cato?
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 Cato getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cato.
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.