Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Cross Plains’ winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cross Plains at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cross Plains’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cross Plains’ place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Cross Plains feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Charmany Farm, WI, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cross Plains’ center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Charmany Farm, WI, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January 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 Cross Plains
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 Charmany Farm, WI.
Living with Cross Plains’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cross Plains from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (71%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cross Plains and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cross Plains in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cross Plains’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Plains, WI | 11° | 82° | 38" | 39" |
| Charles City, IA | 8° | 82° | 37" | 38" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Albert Lea, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 40" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 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 Cross Plains averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Cross Plains compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cross Plains’ place among Wisconsin’s.
Cross Plains weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cross Plains’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Charmany Farm, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 11° | 1.4" | 10.1" | 8 | 20 | 7° – 31° |
| February | 32° | 14° | 1.4" | 10.6" | 8 | 19 | 11° – 34° |
| March | 44° | 24° | 2.2" | 5.5" | 9 | 8 | 25° – 50° |
| April | 57° | 35° | 3.8" | 1.6" | 13 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 79° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 39° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 45° | 28° | 2.2" | 2.2" | 8 | 2 | 28° – 46° |
| December | 32° | 17° | 1.6" | 8.2" | 9 | 12 | 11° – 35° |
| Year | 57° | 37° | 37.7" | 38.5" | 121 | 62 |
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 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Cross Plains’ 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 Cross Plains’ center.
- Snow: Charmany Farm, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Charmany Farm, WI, 9 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Cross Plains’ climate
What is the weather like in Cross Plains?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cross Plains in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Cross Plains get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Charmany Farm, WI, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cross Plains?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Charmany Farm, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Cross Plains?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 169 frost-free days, at Charmany Farm, WI.
What growing zone is Cross Plains in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cross Plains?
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 Cross Plains getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cross Plains.
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.