Photo: Loopygrumpkins · Public domainNights turn raw in Cedarburg each January, colder than in 90% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 88% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Cedarburg at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cedarburg’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cedarburg’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Cedarburg feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grafton Wwtp, WI, 3 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cedarburg’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Germantown, WI, is heaviest from January through February, about 16 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 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cedarburg
92% 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 Grafton Wwtp, WI.
Living with Cedarburg’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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. 2.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cedarburg from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cedarburg and its neighbors
Trenton has the coldest January nights next door (12°, 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 Cedarburg’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedarburg, WI | 13° | 81° | 33" | 54" |
| Houghton Lake, MI | 12° | 81° | 33" | 66" |
| Hornell, NY | 15° | 82° | 35" | 62" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Inver Grove Heights, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 51" |
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 Cedarburg averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 50% 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 Cedarburg compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cedarburg’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Cedarburg weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cedarburg’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Germantown, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 13° | 1.6" | 16.5" | 10 | 23 | 10° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 16° | 1.5" | 16.0" | 8 | 19 | 12° – 34° |
| March | 42° | 25° | 1.9" | 6.5" | 9 | 9 | 25° – 48° |
| April | 54° | 34° | 3.6" | 2.0" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| May | 66° | 45° | 3.7" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 76° | 55° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 79° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 59° | 40° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 45° | 29° | 2.1" | 2.4" | 10 | 3 | 28° – 46° |
| December | 34° | 19° | 1.8" | 10.3" | 9 | 15 | 14° – 37° |
| Year | 56° | 37° | 33.4" | 54.3" | 125 | 70 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Cedarburg’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 Cedarburg’s center.
- Snow: Germantown, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grafton Wwtp, WI, 3 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Cedarburg’s climate
What is the weather like in Cedarburg?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cedarburg in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Cedarburg get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at Germantown, WI, heaviest from January through February, about 16 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 70 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cedarburg?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Grafton Wwtp, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Cedarburg?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 182 frost-free days, at Grafton Wwtp, WI.
What growing zone is Cedarburg in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cedarburg?
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 Cedarburg getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cedarburg.
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.