Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Beaver Dam United StatesIn Beaver Dam, the summers are hot and muggy, the winters are very cold and wet, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 28°F to 88°F and is rarely below 12°F or above 94°F. Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Beaver Dam for warm-weather activities are from late May to late June and from late July to late September. Average Temperature in Beaver DamThe hot season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 24 to September 20, with an average daily high temperature above 79°F. The hottest month of the year in Beaver Dam is July, with an average high of 88°F and low of 70°F. The cold season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 29 to February 28, with an average daily high temperature below 52°F. The coldest month of the year in Beaver Dam is January, with an average low of 29°F and high of 44°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Gardabani, Georgia (6,209 miles away); Xi’an, China (7,391 miles); and Daegu, South Korea (6,896 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Beaver Dam (view comparison). CloudsIn Beaver Dam, 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 Beaver Dam begins around June 15 and lasts for 4.7 months, ending around November 5. The clearest month of the year in Beaver Dam 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 November 5 and lasts for 7.3 months, ending around June 15. The cloudiest month of the year in Beaver Dam is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 55% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Beaver Dam varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 4.5 months, from March 20 to August 5, with a greater than 33% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Beaver Dam is May, with an average of 12.3 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 7.5 months, from August 5 to March 20. The month with the fewest wet days in Beaver Dam is October, with an average of 7.7 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. The month with the most days of rain alone in Beaver Dam is May, with an average of 12.3 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 41% on May 27.
RainfallTo 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. Beaver Dam experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Beaver Dam. The month with the most rain in Beaver Dam is May, with an average rainfall of 4.7 inches. The month with the least rain in Beaver Dam is August, with an average rainfall of 2.7 inches.
SnowfallAs with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Beaver Dam experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall. The snowy period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from November 29 to March 16, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Beaver Dam is February, with an average snowfall of 3.3 inches. The snowless period of the year lasts for 8.4 months, from March 16 to November 29. The least snow falls around July 14, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Beaver Dam varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 35 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 45 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:26 AM on June 12, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 48 minutes later at 7:13 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:29 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 43 minutes later at 8:12 PM on June 27. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Beaver Dam 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 the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe 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. HumidityWe 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. Beaver Dam experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.3 months, from May 14 to September 24, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 20% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Beaver Dam is July, with 23.9 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Beaver Dam is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis 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 Beaver Dam experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.8 months, from October 21 to May 14, with average wind speeds of more than 6.7 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Beaver Dam is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.5 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.2 months, from May 14 to October 21. The calmest month of the year in Beaver Dam is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.9 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Beaver Dam varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 4.1 weeks, from July 3 to August 1, with a peak percentage of 34% on July 12. The wind is most often from the north for 1.9 weeks, from August 1 to August 14, with a peak percentage of 30% on August 6. The wind is most often from the south for 11 months, from August 14 to July 3, with a peak percentage of 34% on January 1. Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Beaver Dam 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 times of year to visit Beaver Dam for general outdoor tourist activities are from late May to late June and from late July to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September. Tourism Score in Beaver DamThe 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 Beaver Dam for hot-weather activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the first week of August. Beach/Pool Score in Beaver DamMethodologyFor 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. Growing SeasonDefinitions 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 Beaver Dam typically lasts for 6.9 months (211 days), from around April 2 to around October 30, rarely starting before March 10 or after April 20, and rarely ending before October 14 or after November 17. 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 Beaver Dam should appear around March 6, only rarely appearing before February 17 or after March 25. Solar EnergyThis 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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from April 20 to September 1, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Beaver Dam is July, with an average of 6.6 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from November 8 to February 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Beaver Dam is December, with an average of 2.1 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Beaver Dam are 37.402 deg latitude, -86.876 deg longitude, and 407 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Beaver Dam contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 213 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 440 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (364 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (636 feet). The area within 2 miles of Beaver Dam is covered by cropland (82%) and trees (14%), within 10 miles by trees (58%) and cropland (41%), and within 50 miles by cropland (53%) and trees (43%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Beaver Dam, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Beaver Dam. For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Beaver Dam according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. The estimated value at Beaver Dam is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Beaver Dam and a given station. The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:
To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Beaver Dam and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |