Your nature year
Madison, Wisconsinthrough the year
Also for Sun Prairie, WI, Fitchburg, WI: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Madison?
The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Apr 12 and first bloom around May 11. About 4 weeks pass between first leaf and first bloom here.
Expect about 161 frost-free days in Madison: the last spring frost usually comes around May 1, the first fall one around Oct 9, going by NOAA's Uw Arboretum - Madison station 3.2 miles away. The closest place we follow is Necedah Refuge, 76 miles away, for fall foliage, October (usually). For spring migration, the nearest is Necedah Refuge (76 mi, May (local timing)). Head northwest for the closest of the 3 places we follow around Madison. Across Wisconsin, fall color is usually well under way by early October.
Updated Sep 29. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Madison right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by early October in WisconsinStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~8 days
- First fall frost usually around Oct 9 · last spring frost around May 1NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Uw Arboretum - Madison (3.2 mi, 50% dates)~9 days
- Fall foliage · Necedah Refuge · 76 miUsually: October~1 day
Your guide around Madison
Close to Madison
- UW–Madison Arboretum: 1,200 acres about four miles from the university's main campus, with the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the nation and restored woodlands, savannas, wetlands and springs.
- Lake Mendota: The largest of the city's four lakes; its average freezing date is December 20, and in winter it's used for ice boating, skating, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.
- The isthmus: Downtown sits on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona.
How we know
Wikipedia, University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum (opens in a new tab) (Sep 30) · Wikipedia contributors, adapted · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikipedia, Lake Mendota (opens in a new tab) (Sep 30) · Wikipedia contributors, adapted · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikipedia, Madison, Wisconsin (opens in a new tab) (Sep 30) · Wikipedia contributors, adapted · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Necedah Refuge · 76 miUsually: October~1 day
Spring migration
- Necedah Refuge · 76 miLocal timing: May~7 months
- Trempealeau Refuge · 124 miLocal timing: late April or early May~7 months
- Upper Mississippi River Refuge · 129 miLocal timing: April and May~6 months
Wildflowers
- Necedah Refuge · 76 miLocal timing: June through August~8 months
Wildlife by season
- Upper Mississippi River Refuge · 129 miLocal timing: from April to August~6 months
Madison's nature year
- Wildlife by season · Upper Mississippi River RefugeApr–Aug
- Apr: Spring green-upApr
- May: Last spring frostMay
- May: Spring migration · Necedah RefugeMay
- Wildflowers · Necedah RefugeJun–Aug
- Oct: Fall color (WI)Oct
- Oct: First fall frostOct
Madison's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~May 1 to ~Oct 9
- First leaf ~Apr 12
- First bloom ~May 11
- Fall color under way ~Oct 8 (WI)
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
May 1
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 9
About 161 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 12
First bloom around May 11
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Uw Arboretum - Madison (3.2 mi from Madison), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Snow in Madison
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 29 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Charmany Farm (3.3 mi away): 39 inches of snow in an average year, about 12.5 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Madison?
On average around Oct 9, and the last spring frost around May 1: about 161 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Uw Arboretum - Madison, 3.2 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Madison?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 12 and first bloom around May 11, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Madison?
Necedah Refuge, 76 miles (usually: October). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see spring migration near Madison?
Necedah Refuge, 76 miles (local timing: May); Trempealeau Refuge, 124 miles (local timing: late April or early May); Upper Mississippi River Refuge, 129 miles (local timing: April and May). Distances are straight-line.
When does Lake Mendota freeze?
Its average freezing date is December 20.Source: Wikipedia, Lake Mendota ↗ (opens in a new tab)
What is the UW–Madison Arboretum known for?
Its tallgrass prairie is the oldest restored one in the nation; some of the first prairie restorations in the United States took place there.Source: Wikipedia, University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum ↗ (opens in a new tab)
When does it start snowing in Madison?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 29: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Charmany Farm. An average year brings 39 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29)