Photo: Bjoertvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0Port Wing’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Port Wing at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Port Wing’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Port Wing’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Port Wing feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 123 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Port Wing, WI, 3 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Port Wing’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 61 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Two Harbors, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 128 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Port Wing
97% 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 Port Wing, WI.
Living with Port Wing’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
123 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 31 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 9.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 47% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Port Wing from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Port Wing and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Port Wing in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Port Wing’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Wing, WI | 4° | 78° | 31" | 61" |
| Iron Mountain, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Alexandria, MN | 1° | 80° | 27" | 46" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 80° | 34" | 50" |
| Littleton, NH | 6° | 80° | 40" | 68" |
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 Port Wing averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 66% 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 Port Wing compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Port Wing’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Port Wing weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Port Wing’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Two Harbors, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 4° | 1.1" | 12.4" | 10 | 0° – 26° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 1.0" | 13.6" | 9 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 38° | 17° | 1.5" | 9.1" | 9 | 19° – 40° |
| April | 50° | 28° | 2.5" | 4.3" | 10 | 33° – 46° |
| May | 63° | 39° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 47° – 56° |
| June | 72° | 49° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 57° – 63° |
| July | 78° | 55° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 76° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 69° |
| September | 68° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 50° – 61° |
| October | 53° | 35° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 12 | 38° – 48° |
| November | 38° | 24° | 1.9" | 5.9" | 9 | 22° – 41° |
| December | 26° | 12° | 1.6" | 15.5" | 10 | 7° – 28° |
| Year | 51° | 31° | 30.8" | 61.0" | 128 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 26°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Port Wing’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 Port Wing’s center.
- Snow: Two Harbors, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Port Wing, WI, 3 miles from the town’s center, 230 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 Port Wing’s climate
What is the weather like in Port Wing?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 156 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Port Wing in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 177 nights a year reach 32° or below and 24 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 0°.
How much snow does Port Wing get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter at Two Harbors, MN, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Port Wing?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 55°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Port Wing, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Port Wing?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 31 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 123 frost-free days, at Port Wing, WI.
What growing zone is Port Wing in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Port Wing?
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 Port Wing getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Port Wing.
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.