Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Tomahawk
High summer brings afternoon highs near 79°. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 95% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.6°, most of all in December. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 66–79°.
A year in Tomahawk at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tomahawk’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tomahawk’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Tomahawk feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 146 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rice Reservoir Tomahawk-2, WI, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tomahawk’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −26°. 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 62 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rhinelander, WI, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 131 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tomahawk
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 Rice Reservoir Tomahawk-2, WI.
Living with Tomahawk’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
146 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tomahawk from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 42%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tomahawk and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tomahawk yet.
Climates most like Tomahawk’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomahawk, WI | 4° | 79° | 33" | 62" |
| Cloquet, MN | 0° | 78° | 31" | 71" |
| Beekmantown, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 80" |
| Littleton, NH | 6° | 80° | 40" | 68" |
| Barre, VT | 7° | 80° | 41" | 76" |
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 Tomahawk averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Tomahawk compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tomahawk’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Tomahawk weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tomahawk’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rhinelander, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 4° | 1.1" | 12.0" | 11 | 30 | 1° – 24° |
| February | 27° | 5° | 1.0" | 12.3" | 8 | 28 | 3° – 30° |
| March | 38° | 16° | 1.7" | 7.5" | 9 | 23 | 17° – 42° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 2.9" | 7.4" | 11 | 6 | 30° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 51° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 79° | 55° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| August | 76° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| September | 68° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| October | 54° | 34° | 3.2" | 1.1" | 13 | 1 | 38° – 50° |
| November | 39° | 23° | 1.9" | 7.0" | 10 | 9 | 21° – 41° |
| December | 27° | 11° | 1.5" | 14.8" | 11 | 25 | 7° – 29° |
| Year | 52° | 31° | 32.5" | 62.2" | 131 | 122 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 30°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Tomahawk’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 Tomahawk’s center.
- Snow: Rhinelander, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rice Reservoir Tomahawk-2, WI, 4 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 Tomahawk’s climate
What is the weather like in Tomahawk?
A typical July afternoon reaches 79°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 62 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 142 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tomahawk in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 177 nights a year reach 32° or below and 40 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Tomahawk get?
About 62 inches in a normal winter at Rhinelander, WI, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 122 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tomahawk?
July, with a typical high of 79° and a low of 55°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Rice Reservoir Tomahawk-2, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Tomahawk?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 146 frost-free days, at Rice Reservoir Tomahawk-2, WI.
What growing zone is Tomahawk in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tomahawk?
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 Tomahawk getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tomahawk.
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.