What Are the Warmest Cities in Wisconsin?
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in Wisconsin.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in Wisconsin that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities in Wisconsin.
Top 10 Warmest Cities in Wisconsin
Here are the top 10 warmest places in Wisconsin ranked by their daily mean temperature.
For the top five cities I also give average winter and summer temperatures.
1. Milwaukee – daily mean temperature of 49.3 °F
The warmest city in Wisconsin is its largest city, Milwaukee. According to weather data, the average weather you can expect in Milwaukee is 31-36 °F during a winter day and 17-23 °F during a winter night. Average summer maximum temperature is 77-82 °F, dropping to 58-65 °F at night.
Out of all Wisconsin cities featured in this ranking, Milwaukee gets most days with snow, at 35 days a year, between November and April. Still, it’s the hottest city in the state. And at 2,483 sunshine hours a year, the city gets enough sunny days that there are only three months when sun shines less than 50% of the time.
Winter temperatures: highs of 31-36 °F, lows of 17-23 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 77-82 °F, lows of 58-65 °F
2. West Allis – daily mean temperature of 49.1 °F
West Allis is a suburb city of Milwaukee. Because it’s nearby, both cities have a similar daily mean temperature. West Allis is further inland, though. That gives it colder winter nights, with the average temperature up to 3 degrees lower. West Allis also experiences warmer summer days (by up to 3 degrees, too).
Winter temperatures: highs of 31-36 °F, lows of 15-21 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 80-85 °F, lows of 58-63 °F
3. La Crosse – daily mean temperature of 48.85 °F
La Crosse, a city on the Mississippi River on the border with Minnesota, has a more extreme climate than the first two cities. In the winter, it’s noticeably colder. Average highs reach 27-33 °F compared to 31-36 °F in the previous two cities. Nights in particular are much colder, with temperatures up to 7 degrees lower than in Milwaukee. The reason why La Crosse still ranks third is because the warmest months in this city are much warmer than in the previous two. During an average summer, the high temperatures reach 82-85 °F and nights don’t drop below 60 °F.
Winter temperatures: highs of 27-33 °F, lows of 11-18 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 82-85 °F, lows of 60-65 °F
4. Janesville – daily mean temperature of 48.7 °F
Janesville, located in Southern Wisconsin, 77 miles southwest of Milwaukee, shares a climate similar to La Crosse. It also has colder nights and warmer summers, though they aren’t as warm as in the latter. Compared to other Wisconsin cities, it still has some of the warmest summer months.
Winter temperatures: highs of 28-34 °F, lows of 12-18 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 80-83 °F, lows of 58-62 °F
5. Kenosha – daily mean temperature of 48.4 °F
Kenosha is the fourth largest city in Wisconsin. Located on Lake Michigan, 35 miles south of Milwaukee, it has a very similar climate. The main difference between these two cities is that Kenosha gets 20 days of snow instead of 35 days of snow in Milwaukee. If you’re looking for the best weather in Wisconsin and you don’t like snow, Kenosha may be a better option than Milwaukee even though it’s slightly colder.
Winter temperatures: highs of 31-36 °F, lows of 17-23 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 73-80 °F, lows of 57-64 °F
6. South Milwaukee – daily mean temperature of 48.4 °F
South Milwaukee is situated 10 miles south of downtown Milwaukee. As West Allis, it’s a part of the metropolitan area. The city gets summers with temperatures up to 2 degrees cooler than in Milwaukee.
7. Wauwatosa – daily mean temperature of 48.25 °F
Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee. The city offers a less attractive climate, with slightly colder winters and slightly warmer summers. It has fewer days of snowfall, though, due to being further inland.
8. Delavan – daily mean temperature of 47.6 °F
Delavan is located in Southern Milwaukee, on the Delavan Lake. This town of about 8,000 inhabitants has winters with temperatures between 29-35 °F during the day and 13-20 °F at night. Summers reach average temperatures between 79-83 °F during the day and 57-61 °F at night (which is up to 4 degrees cooler than in Milwaukee).
9. Sheboygan – daily mean temperature of 47.55 °F
Sheboygan is a city of 50,000 located 58 miles north of Milwaukee. Like Milwaukee, it’s located on Lake Michigan which gives it a more moderate climate. It’s cooler than the largest city in Wisconsin, though, with temperatures lower by 1-2 degrees.
10. Monroe – daily mean temperature of 47.25 °F
Monroe is the tenth warmest city in Wisconsin. Due to its southerly location close to the border with Illinois, it has a similar climate to Janesville. Despite being ranked tenth, this city of about 11,000 people is still much warmer than cities in other parts of Wisconsin that have an average annual temperature up to a few degrees lower. It’s one of the warmest small cities in the state.
Video Summary of the Warmest Wisconsin Cities
50 Biggest Cities in Wisconsin Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in Wisconsin. When I couldn’t find National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 57.3 | 41.3 | 49.3 |
| West Allis | 58.8 | 39.4 | 49.1 |
| La Crosse | 58.6 | 39.1 | 48.85 |
| Janesville | 57 | 40.4 | 48.7 |
| Kenosha | 55.9 | 40.9 | 48.4 |
| South Milwaukee | 56.2 | 40.6 | 48.4 |
| Wauwatosa | 57.4 | 39.1 | 48.25 |
| Delavan | 57.5 | 37.7 | 47.6 |
| Sheboygan | 55.9 | 39.2 | 47.55 |
| Monroe | 56.5 | 38 | 47.25 |
| Oconomowoc | 57 | 37.4 | 47.2 |
| Madison | 56.5 | 37.6 | 47.05 |
| Racine | 54.4 | 39.7 | 47.05 |
| Whitewater | 56.7 | 37.2 | 46.95 |
| Port Washington | 55 | 38.4 | 46.7 |
| Platteville | 56.3 | 37.1 | 46.7 |
| Stoughton | 57.1 | 36.2 | 46.65 |
| Baraboo | 57.2 | 36 | 46.6 |
| Waukesha | 56.2 | 36.9 | 46.55 |
| Oshkosh | 55.4 | 37.7 | 46.55 |
| Fort Atkinson | 57 | 36 | 46.5 |
| Portage | 55.9 | 37 | 46.45 |
| Watertown | 55.8 | 36.9 | 46.35 |
| Reedsburg | 56.8 | 35.8 | 46.3 |
| Brookfield | 56.4 | 36.1 | 46.25 |
| West Bend | 56 | 36.5 | 46.25 |
| Burlington | 56.1 | 36 | 46.05 |
| Beaver Dam | 55.5 | 36.3 | 45.9 |
| Green Bay | 54.7 | 36.7 | 45.7 |
| Appleton | 54.8 | 36.4 | 45.6 |
| Mequon | 55 | 36 | 45.5 |
| Beloit | 54.5 | 36.3 | 45.4 |
| Manitowoc | 52.5 | 37.7 | 45.1 |
| Fond du Lac | 53.8 | 36.1 | 44.95 |
| Wisconsin Rapids | 55.1 | 34.5 | 44.8 |
| Hartford | 54.9 | 34.6 | 44.75 |
| Eau Claire | 55.2 | 34.2 | 44.7 |
| Marinette | 53.7 | 35.7 | 44.7 |
| Sparta | 55.3 | 33.9 | 44.6 |
| Middleton | 54 | 35 | 44.5 |
| Two Rivers | 52 | 36.7 | 44.35 |
| Sturgeon Bay | 53.1 | 35.5 | 44.3 |
| Menomonie | 55.2 | 33.2 | 44.2 |
| Stevens Point | 53.6 | 34.6 | 44.1 |
| Shawano | 54.3 | 33.5 | 43.9 |
| Wausau | 53.2 | 34 | 43.6 |
| River Falls | 53.9 | 33 | 43.45 |
| Marshfield | 54 | 32 | 43 |
| Merrill | 52.8 | 31.5 | 42.15 |
| Superior | 49.4 | 33.5 | 41.45 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring Wisconsin, check out the following articles:
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Illinois?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Iowa?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Michigan?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Minnesota?
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state.