Madison, Wisconsin Weather
Day 93 of summer. Read today’s microseason across nine climate regions →
Madison weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 8:39 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Light Rain later12%0.09″62°53°—
- TuesdaySep 22Light Drizzle13%0.01″61°50°-1°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——67°46°+6°
- ThursdaySep 24Overcast——67°50°0°
- FridaySep 25Drizzle—0.06″58°55°-9°
- SaturdaySep 26Rain10%0.84″56°54°-2°
- SundaySep 27Rain17%0.46″70°55°+14°
Air quality now AQI 25 · Good
AQI 25 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 5.7 µg/m³, PM10 at 5.8 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.7 µg/m³, PM10 at 5.8 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.98
- Wind
- breezy
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
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
- 1:07 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Madison at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 58°F (high 62°F, low 53°F), 5°F below the 63°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: May 1 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 5 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Madison
- Mon62°53°12%
- Tue61°50°13%
- Wed67°46°1%
- Thu67°50°1%
- Fri58°55°1%
- Sat56°54°10%
- Sun70°55°17%
- Mon73°53°15%
- Tue71°55°29%
- Wed67°50°28%
- Thu63°47°13%
- Fri58°46°21%
- Sat65°55°23%
- Sun58°46°19%
- Mon53°38°23%
- Tue56°35°24%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Madison
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Madison — 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 9) 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, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Madison
SPC includes Madison in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Madison
Madison sits in Dane County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 22m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 59m — a swing of +6h 23m 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 72 miles to the E. The nearest town Madison tracks is Milwaukee, roughly 72 miles to the E.
Air quality in Madison
Air quality in Madison’s county has held roughly steady since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2025 (median AQI 41). See the full air-quality history for Madison.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
The year in Madison tops out in July (~75°F) and dips lowest in January (~20°F), with May wettest at 4.2 inches and January driest at 1.5 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 1.5″ |
| February | 23° | 1.6″ |
| March | 34° | 2.6″ |
| April | 48° | 3.4″ |
| May | 58° | 4.2″ |
| June | 69° | 4.0″ |
| July | 75° | 3.0″ |
| August | 73° | 3.0″ |
| September | 65° | 3.6″ |
| October | 53° | 2.9″ |
| November | 37° | 2.8″ |
| December | 24° | 1.7″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Maple Bluff, WI, Shorewood Hills, WI, Monona, WI
By modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo), Madison sees 20°F Januarys and 75°F Julys, a 55°F range, plus around 34.3 inches of precipitation.
Precipitation in Madison runs summer-dominant: May averages 4.2 inches from warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.5 inches under drier cool air. That puts Madison in a summer-convective cohort with places like Maple Bluff, WI, Shorewood Hills, WI and Monona, WI.
The cool-season window in Madison starts at May 1, when nights stop freezing — think kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Hold Madison's tender crops — tomatoes, peppers, basil — until 10-14 days past Madison's last frost. Madison's window closes around October 9 as Madison's overnight lows return below freezing. Sheltered Madison yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Maple Bluff, WI, Shorewood Hills, WI, Monona, WI, Middleton, WI, Fitchburg, WI.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Madison?
- In Madison, expect the last spring frost near May 1; Madison's first autumn frost comes around October 9.
- What is the rainy season in Madison?
- Madison sees its heaviest rain in May (around 4.2 inches), part of roughly 34 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Madison?
- Madison peaks in July, when the mean runs near 75°F.
- What is the coldest month in Madison?
- January is Madison's coldest month, averaging about 20°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Madison?
- In Madison, sow peas and hardy greens around May 1; Madison's tomatoes and peppers wait two weeks more.
- What hardiness zone is Madison?
- Because Madison bottoms near 20°F in January, that winter low sets Madison's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Madison?
- Madison'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 Madison?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Madison in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Madison?
- Current conditions for Madison and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Madison forecast updated?
- The Madison forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Madison?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Madison 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 Madison?
- The next few days in Madison's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Madison sits at 43.1°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Madison
- 53701
- 53702
- 53703
- 53704
- 53705
- 53706
- 53707
- 53708
- 53711
- 53713
- 53714
- 53715
- 53716
- 53717
- 53718
- 53719
- 53725
- 53726
- 53774
- 53777
- 53782
- 53783
- 53784
- 53785
- 53786
- 53788
- 53790
- 53792
- 53793
- 53794