Photo: Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO) for NAIP, USGS; in contract with the Surdex Corporation · Public domainClay Banks has some of the coolest summers among U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 13°. A year here swings 64° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 90% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 6; autumn frost returns near October 17.
A year in Clay Banks at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clay Banks’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clay Banks’ place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Clay Banks feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Forestville-4e, WI, 5 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clay Banks’ 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 53 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Forestville-4e, WI, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clay Banks
96% 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 Forestville-4e, WI.
Living with Clay Banks’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 6 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 3.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 43% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clay Banks from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clay Banks and its neighbors
Forestville has the coldest January nights next door (11°, 2° colder) and Forestville the hottest July afternoons (79°, 2° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Clay Banks’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Banks, WI | 13° | 77° | 32" | 53" |
| Alpena, MI | 14° | 78° | 31" | 59" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 80° | 34" | 50" |
| Duluth, MN | 5° | 76° | 30" | 56" |
| Milton, VT | 10° | 80° | 40" | 50" |
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 Clay Banks averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 61% 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 Clay Banks compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clay Banks’ place among Wisconsin’s.
Clay Banks weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clay Banks’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Forestville-4e, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 13° | 1.6" | 12.4" | 9 | 23 | 9° – 30° |
| February | 29° | 15° | 1.2" | 12.6" | 8 | 25 | 10° – 32° |
| March | 38° | 23° | 1.8" | 8.1" | 8 | 18 | 21° – 43° |
| April | 49° | 33° | 3.0" | 4.1" | 10 | 4 | 33° – 47° |
| May | 62° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| June | 72° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 77° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 76° | 59° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| September | 68° | 51° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 42° | 30° | 2.2" | 1.6" | 9 | 2 | 28° – 43° |
| December | 31° | 20° | 1.9" | 13.6" | 10 | 18 | 15° – 35° |
| Year | 52° | 37° | 31.8" | 52.7" | 115 | 91 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Clay Banks’ 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 Clay Banks’ center.
- Snow: Forestville-4e, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Forestville-4e, WI, 5 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Clay Banks’ climate
What is the weather like in Clay Banks?
A typical July afternoon reaches 77°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 97% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clay Banks in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Clay Banks get?
About 53 inches in a normal winter at Forestville-4e, WI, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 91 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clay Banks?
July, with a typical high of 77° and a low of 59°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Forestville-4e, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Clay Banks?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 163 frost-free days, at Forestville-4e, WI.
What growing zone is Clay Banks 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 Clay Banks?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Clay Banks getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clay Banks.
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.