Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Madison United States

In Madison, the summers are long, hot, and oppressive; the winters are short and cold; and it is wet and partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 42°F to 90°F and is rarely below 27°F or above 96°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Madison for warm-weather activities are from late March to late May and from late September to early November.

The hot season lasts for 4.5 months, from May 10 to September 25, with an average daily high temperature above 85°F. The hottest month of the year in Madison is July, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F.

The cool season lasts for 2.8 months, from December 1 to February 24, with an average daily high temperature below 69°F. The coldest month of the year in Madison is January, with an average low of 42°F and high of 64°F.

In Madison, 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 Madison begins around September 16 and lasts for 8.6 months, ending around June 5.

The clearest month of the year in Madison is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 64% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around June 5 and lasts for 3.4 months, ending around September 16.

The cloudiest month of the year in Madison is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 58% 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 Madison varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.3 months, from May 30 to September 9, with a greater than 40% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Madison is July, with an average of 19.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.6 months, from September 9 to May 30. The month with the fewest wet days in Madison is October, with an average of 6.1 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 Madison is July, with an average of 19.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 63% on July 28.

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. Madison experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Madison. The month with the most rain in Madison is July, with an average rainfall of 5.5 inches.

The month with the least rain in Madison is October, with an average rainfall of 2.5 inches.

The length of the day in Madison varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 11 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 7 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:30 AM on June 10, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 19 minutes later at 7:49 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:32 PM on December 1, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 8 minutes later at 8:40 PM on June 30.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Madison 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.

Madison experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from May 4 to October 23, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 26% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Madison is July, with 30.2 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Madison is February, with 1.1 days that are muggy or worse.

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 Madison experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.5 months, from September 28 to May 13, with average wind speeds of more than 5.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Madison is February, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.5 months, from May 13 to September 28. The calmest month of the year in Madison is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.2 miles per hour.

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

The wind is most often from the west for 2.6 weeks, from February 26 to March 15 and for 3.6 months, from April 28 to August 16, with a peak percentage of 41% on July 17. The wind is most often from the east for 2.3 months, from August 16 to October 25, with a peak percentage of 45% on September 7. The wind is most often from the north for 4.0 months, from October 25 to February 26, with a peak percentage of 35% on January 1.

Madison 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 4.0 months, from June 1 to October 2, with an average temperature above 81°F. The month of the year in Madison with the warmest water is August, with an average temperature of 85°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.3 months, from December 14 to March 23, with an average temperature below 66°F. The month of the year in Madison with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 61°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Madison 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 Madison for general outdoor tourist activities are from late March to late May and from late September to early November, with a peak score in the last week of April.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Madison for hot-weather activities are from early May to late June and from mid August to early October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

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 Madison typically lasts for 9.0 months (274 days), from around February 25 to around November 25, rarely starting before January 31 or after March 23, and rarely ending before November 1 or after December 24.

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 Madison should appear around January 16, only rarely appearing before January 10 or after January 26.

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 significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.4 months, from April 3 to June 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Madison is May, with an average of 6.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from November 12 to February 3, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Madison is December, with an average of 3.2 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Madison are 30.469 deg latitude, -83.413 deg longitude, and 187 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Madison contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 108 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 129 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (177 feet). Within 50 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (308 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Madison is covered by trees (53%), cropland (22%), and artificial surfaces (19%), within 10 miles by trees (47%) and cropland (34%), and within 50 miles by trees (48%) and herbaceous vegetation (25%).