Photo: The original uploader was Royalbroil at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.5Cecil has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 80°. Its July afternoons stay fresher than in 90% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The outdoor season runs from May to September, with highs of 67–80°.
A year in Cecil at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cecil’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cecil’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Cecil feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 144 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shawano 2ssw, WI, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cecil’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Shawano 2ssw, WI, is heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month. 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 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cecil
95% 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 Shawano 2ssw, WI.
Living with Cecil’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
144 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 9 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cecil from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 38%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cecil and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cecil yet.
Climates most like Cecil’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecil, WI | 8° | 80° | 33" | 48" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 80° | 34" | 50" |
| Owatonna, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 44" |
| Clear Lake, IA | 7° | 82° | 36" | 44" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cecil averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Cecil compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cecil’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Cecil weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cecil’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Shawano 2ssw, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 8° | 1.4" | 11.8" | 10 | 27 | 4° – 28° |
| February | 29° | 10° | 1.1" | 10.8" | 7 | 27 | 7° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 20° | 1.9" | 7.4" | 8 | 18 | 20° – 45° |
| April | 54° | 32° | 3.0" | 4.3" | 10 | 3 | 34° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 54° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| August | 78° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 48° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 36° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 42° | 26° | 2.0" | 3.5" | 8 | 4 | 25° – 42° |
| December | 30° | 15° | 1.7" | 9.8" | 9 | 20 | 11° – 33° |
| Year | 54° | 34° | 32.9" | 47.9" | 118 | 100 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Cecil’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 Cecil’s center.
- Snow: Shawano 2ssw, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shawano 2ssw, WI, 9 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 Cecil’s climate
What is the weather like in Cecil?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cecil in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Cecil get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Shawano 2ssw, WI, heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 100 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cecil?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 58°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Shawano 2ssw, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Cecil?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 144 frost-free days, at Shawano 2ssw, WI.
What growing zone is Cecil in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cecil?
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 Cecil getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cecil.
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.