Photo: artistmac · CC BY-SA 2.0Kenosha’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Kenosha at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kenosha’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kenosha’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Kenosha feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kenosha, WI, 4 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kenosha’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kenosha, WI, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 120 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kenosha
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 Kenosha, WI.
Living with Kenosha’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 48% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kenosha from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kenosha and its neighbors
Paris has the coldest January nights next door (15°, 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 Kenosha’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha, WI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 36" |
| Okemos, MI | 16° | 82° | 35" | 36" |
| Horseheads, NY | 16° | 82° | 36" | 42" |
| Kendallville, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 36" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Kenosha averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Kenosha compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kenosha’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Kenosha weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kenosha’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kenosha, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 16° | 1.7" | 11.3" | 10 | 18 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 19° | 1.7" | 9.8" | 9 | 12 | 14° – 36° |
| March | 44° | 27° | 2.2" | 5.7" | 10 | 5 | 28° – 49° |
| April | 55° | 37° | 3.7" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 39° – 51° |
| May | 67° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 73° | 54° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 32° | 2.3" | 1.5" | 10 | 1 | 31° – 48° |
| December | 35° | 22° | 1.9" | 7.0" | 10 | 7 | 16° – 38° |
| Year | 57° | 40° | 35.1" | 36.2" | 120 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Kenosha’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 Kenosha’s center.
- Snow: Kenosha, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kenosha, WI, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Kenosha’s climate
What is the weather like in Kenosha?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kenosha in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 122 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 14°.
How much snow does Kenosha get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Kenosha, WI, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kenosha?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Kenosha, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Kenosha?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 189 frost-free days, at Kenosha, WI.
What growing zone is Kenosha in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kenosha?
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 Kenosha getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kenosha.
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.