Madison weather by month & the best time to visit
🇺🇸 United States · regional city · hot-summer continental climate
The best time to visit Madison is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 75/100), with July and May close behind. Madison averages about 2,236 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 23°C / 73°F and roughly 93 mm of rain in September.
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- Sun hours / year
- 2,236
- Sunniest month
- September
- Peak score
- 75/100
- Rain / year
- 970 mm
- Snow / year
- ≈1.6 m
- Midday UV at peak
- 7 (high)
- Population
- 327k
- Elevation
- 260 m
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When is the best time to visit Madison?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Madison is September, then July and May. The dullest month is January (0/100, 36 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Madison?
Madison gets a moderate 2,236 hours of sunshine a year. 75 Sunshine Score points separate September (75) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #311 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 970 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | -3° / 27°F | -12° / 10°F | 36 mm | 1 |
| February | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -11° / 12°F | 41 mm | 2 |
| March | 0 | 6° / 43°F | -4° / 25°F | 59 mm | 3 |
| April | 37 | 14° / 57°F | 2° / 36°F | 98 mm | 4 |
| May | 72 | 20° / 68°F | 8° / 46°F | 109 mm | 6 |
| June | 67 | 25° / 77°F | 15° / 59°F | 134 mm | 7 |
| July | 73 | 28° / 82°F | 17° / 63°F | 102 mm | 7 |
| August | 72 | 27° / 81°F | 16° / 61°F | 111 mm | 6 |
| September | 75 | 23° / 73°F | 12° / 54°F | 93 mm | 5 |
| October | 45 | 15° / 59°F | 4° / 39°F | 80 mm | 3 |
| November | 0 | 7° / 45°F | -2° / 28°F | 56 mm | 1 |
| December | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -8° / 18°F | 51 mm | 1 |
See Madison on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Milwaukee United States · 119 km · best in Sep · 1,950 h sun/yr
- Appleton United States · 141 km · best in Jul · 2,243 h sun/yr
- Chicago United States · 174 km · best in Sep · 2,095 h sun/yr
- Green Bay United States · 178 km · best in Jul · 2,244 h sun/yr
- Moline United States · 211 km · best in Sep · 2,290 h sun/yr
- Cedar Rapids United States · 239 km · best in Sep · 2,315 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- Rockford United States · 107 km · 2,258 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- Dubuque United States · 139 km · 2,280 h sun/yr · best in Sep
- La Crosse United States · 175 km · 2,283 h sun/yr · best in Jul
Head-to-head
How Madison compares month by month: Madison vs Chicago · Madison vs Milwaukee · Madison vs Green Bay · Madison vs Rochester (Minnesota) · all comparisons
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