Pepin’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Pepin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pepin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pepin’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Pepin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alma Dam 4, WI, 14 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pepin’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wabasha, MN, falls mostly in January, February and December. 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 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pepin
93% 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 Alma Dam 4, WI.
Living with Pepin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 4b. 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pepin from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pepin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pepin yet.
Climates most like Pepin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepin, WI | 6° | 83° | 35" | 40" |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 9° | 83° | 34" | 39" |
| Worthington, MN | 6° | 83° | 30" | 45" |
| Harrisburg, SD | 8° | 84° | 29" | 49" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
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 Pepin averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Pepin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pepin’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Pepin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pepin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wabasha, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 6° | 1.0" | 9.5" | 7 | 25 | 4° – 29° |
| February | 30° | 10° | 1.0" | 8.9" | 6 | 24 | 6° – 32° |
| March | 42° | 23° | 1.9" | 7.0" | 8 | 13 | 25° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 35° | 3.3" | 2.4" | 11 | 1 | 36° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 38° | 2.5" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 43° | 26° | 1.8" | 2.2" | 7 | 3 | 25° – 46° |
| December | 30° | 14° | 1.3" | 9.1" | 7 | 17 | 8° – 32° |
| Year | 56° | 36° | 34.7" | 39.8" | 109 | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Pepin’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 Pepin’s center.
- Snow: Wabasha, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alma Dam 4, WI, 14 miles from the town’s center, 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 Pepin’s climate
What is the weather like in Pepin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pepin in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 138 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Pepin get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Wabasha, MN, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 83 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pepin?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Alma Dam 4, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Pepin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 168 frost-free days, at Alma Dam 4, WI.
What growing zone is Pepin in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pepin?
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 Pepin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pepin.
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.