Appleton, Wisconsin Weather
Day 93 of summer. Read today’s microseason across nine climate regions →
Appleton weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 1:30 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast——60°48°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——60°44°0°
- WednesdaySep 23Mostly Clear——67°48°+7°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast——68°53°+1°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——68°54°0°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——64°54°-4°
- SundaySep 27Partly Cloudy13%—67°54°+3°
Air quality now AQI 33 · Good
AQI 33 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:40 PM
- Moonset
- 12:59 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Appleton at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 54°F (high 60°F, low 48°F), 8°F below the 62°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: May 4 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 4 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots
15-Day Forecast — Appleton
- Mon60°48°3%
- Tue60°44°1%
- Wed67°48°0%
- Thu68°53°1%
- Fri68°54°1%
- Sat64°54°4%
- Sun67°54°13%
- Mon70°55°16%
- Tue65°57°28%
- Wed67°48°24%
- Thu68°52°18%
- Fri62°55°27%
- Sat68°57°19%
- Sun70°59°16%
- Mon64°52°18%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Appleton
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Appleton — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 6) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, and carrots.
Sun & seasons in Appleton
Appleton sits in Outagamie County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 31m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 51m — a swing of +6h 40m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, lies about 86 miles to the SSE. The nearest town Appleton tracks is Green Bay, roughly 26 miles to the NE.
Air quality in Appleton
Air quality in Appleton’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2024 (median AQI 37). See the full air-quality history for Appleton.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| October | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
Appleton peaks at about 73°F in July and bottoms near 17°F in January; June brings the heaviest rain (3.8 inches) and February the least (1.4 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | 1.5″ |
| February | 20° | 1.4″ |
| March | 31° | 2.3″ |
| April | 45° | 2.9″ |
| May | 56° | 3.4″ |
| June | 67° | 3.8″ |
| July | 73° | 2.8″ |
| August | 72° | 2.9″ |
| September | 64° | 3.7″ |
| October | 52° | 2.6″ |
| November | 35° | 2.7″ |
| December | 22° | 1.7″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Kimberly, WI, Little Chute, WI, Combined Locks, WI
Appleton's climate, from modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), pairs 17°F Januarys with 73°F Julys — a 56°F swing. About 31.7 inches of precipitation falls each year.
Summer convection drives Appleton's precipitation: June logs 3.8 inches, against February's 1.4 inches — warm-season storms carry Appleton's moisture. That puts Appleton in a summer-convective cohort with places like Kimberly, WI, Little Chute, WI and Combined Locks, WI.
The cool-season window in Appleton starts at May 4, when nights stop freezing — think kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. In Appleton, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Appleton's frost date. Appleton's window closes around October 6 as Appleton's overnight lows return below freezing. Sheltered Appleton yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Kimberly, WI, Little Chute, WI, Combined Locks, WI, Menasha, WI, Fox Crossing, WI.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Appleton?
- Appleton's last spring frost lands near May 4, and in Appleton the first fall frost follows around October 6.
- What is the rainy season in Appleton?
- Rainfall in Appleton peaks in June near 3.8 inches, out of about 32 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Appleton?
- On average July tops the year in Appleton at about 73°F.
- What is the coldest month in Appleton?
- The coldest stretch in Appleton falls in January, around 17°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Appleton?
- In Appleton, sow peas and hardy greens around May 4; Appleton's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- What hardiness zone is Appleton?
- With January around 17°F, Appleton's zone reflects that minimum — the USDA ZIP map confirms Appleton's band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Appleton?
- Appleton's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Appleton?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Appleton in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Appleton?
- Current conditions for Appleton and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Appleton forecast updated?
- The Appleton forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Appleton?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Appleton are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Appleton?
- The next few days in Appleton's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Appleton sits at 44.3°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Appleton
- 54911
- 54912
- 54913
- 54914
- 54915
- 54919