Ellsworth, Wisconsin Weather
Prairie lightning bugs rise. Day 76 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Ellsworth weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Overcast——83°60°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast27%—83°64°0°
- FridayJun 5Light Showers58%0.02″79°62°-4°
- SaturdayJun 6Clear35%—77°60°-2°
- SundayJun 7Light Drizzle16%—80°59°+3°
- MondayJun 8Light Drizzle42%0.02″70°61°-10°
- TuesdayJun 9Light Drizzle33%—79°65°+9°
Ozone at AQI 86 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. AQI up 16 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 86 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 86
- UV peak
- 6.2 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 86
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).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 4:22 AM
- Moonset
- 12:50 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Prairie lightning bugs rise
Ellsworth at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 12°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 14 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 3, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Ellsworth
SPC has placed Ellsworth in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3MRGLMarginal Risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Ellsworth's warmest month is July (~68°F mean) and its coldest is January (~12°F). Rainfall peaks in June (5.3 inches) and bottoms out in February (1.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12° | 1.0″ | 4 |
| February | 16° | 1.0″ | 3 |
| March | 29° | 2.0″ | 5 |
| April | 43° | 3.0″ | 7 |
| May | 55° | 4.5″ | 9 |
| June | 65° | 5.3″ | 9 |
| July | 68° | 4.1″ | 7 |
| August | 66° | 5.0″ | 7 |
| September | 59° | 3.9″ | 6 |
| October | 46° | 2.8″ | 6 |
| November | 31° | 2.0″ | 4 |
| December | 18° | 1.4″ | 4 |
Regional context
Ellsworth's climate, per the NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals from the nearest reporting station, runs cold-winter and warm-summer. January means hover near 12°F while July climbs to 68°F — a 57°F seasonal swing typical of northern-tier latitudes. Annual precipitation totals about 35.9 inches spread across roughly 69 days with measurable rain or snow.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: June averages 5.3 inches across 9.1 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 1.0 inches across 2.8 rainy days under drier cool-season air. That summer-storm-driven distribution puts Ellsworth in a cohort with places like Diamond Bluff, WI, Hager City, WI and Bay City, WI, all of which depend on warm-season convective activity for the bulk of their annual moisture.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around late-May, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — wait until soil temperatures reach the mid-50s°F, usually two weeks past the last-frost date. The window closes around early-October, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. These are 30-year central tendencies; year-to-year frost dates can move by up to two weeks. Local features matter: a south-facing slope inside Ellsworth typically runs 3-5 days ahead of the regional last-frost date, while a low-lying lot along a creek or drainage can lag the same date by a week or more on calm clear nights.
Similar climates: Diamond Bluff, WI, Hager City, WI, Bay City, WI, River Falls, WI, Spring Valley, WI.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Ellsworth?
- Ellsworth's last spring frost typically falls around mid-May, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Ellsworth?
- June is the wettest month with about 5.3 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 36 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Ellsworth?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 68°F.
- What is the coldest month in Ellsworth?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 12°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Ellsworth?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-May); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Ellsworth get?
- Ellsworth averages about 69 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Ellsworth?
- Ellsworth's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Ellsworth, Wisconsin sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 12°F while July averages 68°F — a 57°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Ellsworth receives about 36 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 69 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (44.7°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.