Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Appleton Wisconsin, United States

In Appleton, the summers are warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 12°F to 81°F and is rarely below -7°F or above 89°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Appleton for warm-weather activities is from mid June to early September.

The warm season lasts for 3.8 months, from May 24 to September 16, with an average daily high temperature above 70°F. The hottest month of the year in Appleton is July, with an average high of 81°F and low of 63°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from November 29 to March 6, with an average daily high temperature below 37°F. The coldest month of the year in Appleton is January, with an average low of 13°F and high of 26°F.

In Appleton, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Appleton begins around June 7 and lasts for 4.4 months, ending around October 19.

The clearest month of the year in Appleton is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 68% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 19 and lasts for 7.6 months, ending around June 7.

The cloudiest month of the year in Appleton is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 59% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Appleton varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from April 4 to October 10, with a greater than 25% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Appleton is June, with an average of 11.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.8 months, from October 10 to April 4. The month with the fewest wet days in Appleton is February, with an average of 3.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Appleton changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 9.7 months, from February 22 to December 12. The month with the most days of rain alone in Appleton is June, with an average of 11.2 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 2.4 months, from December 12 to February 22. The month with the most days of snow alone in Appleton is January, with an average of 2.3 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Appleton experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 17 to December 31, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Appleton is June, with an average rainfall of 3.7 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 1.6 months, from December 31 to February 17. The month with the least rain in Appleton is January, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Appleton experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.0 months, from November 9 to April 10, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Appleton is December, with an average snowfall of 4.5 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.0 months, from April 10 to November 9. The least snow falls around August 1, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Appleton varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 51 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 15 hours, 31 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:09 AM on June 15, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 24 minutes later at 7:32 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:14 PM on December 8, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 27 minutes later at 8:41 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Appleton during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Appleton experiences significant seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from June 6 to September 17, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 8% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Appleton is July, with 9.3 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 24, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Appleton experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.7 months, from September 24 to May 14, with average wind speeds of more than 10.6 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Appleton is January, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.7 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.3 months, from May 14 to September 24. The calmest month of the year in Appleton is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.8 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Appleton varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 1.4 months, from March 4 to April 15, with a peak percentage of 32% on March 7. The wind is most often from the south for 1.2 months, from May 7 to June 12 and for 4.3 weeks, from August 20 to September 19, with a peak percentage of 34% on September 5. The wind is most often from the west for 2.3 months, from June 12 to August 20 and for 5.5 months, from September 19 to March 4, with a peak percentage of 37% on July 18.

Appleton is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 2.5 months, from July 7 to September 22, with an average temperature above 62°F. The month of the year in Appleton with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 69°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 5.2 months, from December 1 to May 9, with an average temperature below 42°F. The month of the year in Appleton with the coolest water is March, with an average temperature of 35°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Appleton throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Appleton for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Appleton for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Appleton typically lasts for 5.5 months (169 days), from around April 27 to around October 13, rarely starting before April 10 or after May 14, and rarely ending before September 24 or after November 2.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Appleton should appear around April 27, only rarely appearing before April 16 or after May 12.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 4 to August 18, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.9 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Appleton is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 28 to February 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.6 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Appleton is December, with an average of 1.5 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Appleton are 44.262 deg latitude, -88.415 deg longitude, and 791 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Appleton contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 141 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 783 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (430 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (745 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Appleton is covered by artificial surfaces (100%), within 10 miles by cropland (57%) and artificial surfaces (27%), and within 50 miles by cropland (61%) and trees (17%).