Chili has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 80°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 75° apart. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 92% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Chili at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chili’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chili’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Chili 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 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Neillsville 3ese, WI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chili’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −22°. 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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Neillsville 3ese, WI, falls mostly in December. 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 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chili
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 Neillsville 3ese, WI.
Living with Chili’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
144 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 10 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chili from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 34%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chili and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chili yet.
Climates most like Chili’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chili, WI | 5° | 80° | 33" | 44" |
| Cambridge, MN | 4° | 81° | 32" | 44" |
| Peru, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 50" |
| Clear Lake, IA | 7° | 82° | 36" | 44" |
| Brookings, SD | 5° | 82° | 27" | 36" |
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 Chili averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Chili compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chili’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Chili weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chili’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Neillsville 3ese, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 5° | 1.0" | 9.1" | 7 | 26 | 2° – 26° |
| February | 28° | 8° | 1.0" | 9.4" | 6 | 26 | 6° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 20° | 1.7" | 7.7" | 8 | 18 | 20° – 46° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 3.1" | 2.7" | 11 | 3 | 33° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| June | 76° | 53° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| August | 78° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 51° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 35° | 2.9" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| November | 41° | 24° | 1.8" | 3.4" | 7 | 4 | 23° – 43° |
| December | 28° | 12° | 1.4" | 10.9" | 8 | 21 | 7° – 31° |
| Year | 53° | 33° | 33.0" | 43.6" | 112 | 97 |
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 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Chili’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 Chili’s center.
- Snow: Neillsville 3ese, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Neillsville 3ese, WI, 11 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Chili’s climate
What is the weather like in Chili?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chili in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 177 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Chili get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Neillsville 3ese, WI, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 97 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chili?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Neillsville 3ese, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Chili?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 144 frost-free days, at Neillsville 3ese, WI.
What growing zone is Chili in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −22°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chili?
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 Chili getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chili.
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.