Climate and average weather in Fond du Lac

In Fond du Lac, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, and partly cloudy.

Best: mid May to late September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Fond du Lac typically varies from 13°F to 79°F, and is rarely below -6°F or above 88°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Fond du Lac for warm-weather activities is from mid May to late September.

Hottest
Jul
79°
Coldest
Jan
13°
Wettest
Jun
3.9 in
Driest
Feb
1.5 in
Rain / yr
32.5 in
112 wet days
Daylight
8.7–15.3 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
761 ft
43.8°N
Clearest
Sep
53% cloud

Fond du Lac is city in and county seat of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
824/km²
people per km²
Founded
1843

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Fond du Lac weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid May to late September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Fond du Lac, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 4.3 months, from May 18 to September 26, with daily high temperatures above 66°F. The hottest month of the year in Fond du Lac is July, with an average high of 79°F and low of 63°F.

The cool season lasts 3.1 months, from December 2 to March 6, with daily high temperatures below 36°F. The coldest month of the year in Fond du Lac is January, with an average low of 13°F and high of 26°F.

Days typically run about 15°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 17°F) in May.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
Jan2613
Feb2915
Mar4025
Apr5337
May6548
Jun7559
Jul7963
Aug7761
Sep7053
Oct5742
Nov4330
Dec3119

How hot and cold Fond du Lac really feels

Feels-like highFeels-like lowactual air temp

The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.

On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -1°F (around January 20), with roughly 177 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 32°F) 101 of them bitterly cold — worst in January.

20°40°60°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Feels-like high (°F)Air high (°F)Feels-like low (°F)Air low (°F)
Jan2626013
Feb2929315
Mar41401625
Apr53533037
May65654548
Jun75755959
Jul79796363
Aug77776161
Sep70705253
Oct57573642
Nov43432230
Dec3131819

Average hourly temperature in Fond du Lac

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 79°F, and coldest before dawn in January, near 13°F.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Fond du Lac weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 13°1.5879.10.0
Feb29° / 15°1.56.65.710.20.0
Mar40° / 25°2.394.611.60.4
Apr53° / 37°3.611.62.313.23.0
May65° / 48°3.611.30.114.55.7
Jun75° / 59°3.911.1015.26.6
Jul79° / 63°3.210.1014.96.7
Aug77° / 61°3.510.4013.86.9
Sep70° / 53°2.99.2012.36.7
Oct57° / 42°2.89.60.310.84.1
Nov43° / 30°2.08.12.49.50.7
Dec31° / 19°1.875.88.80.0

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Fond du Lac gets about 32.5 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.1 months, from around Mar 25 to Aug 27, peaking in April at about 39% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Feb 8.

June is the wettest month by volume, with 3.9 in over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 1.5 in. Some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdrierwetterdriermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetApr 25 · 39%Feb 8 · 21%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan258
Feb247
Mar309
Apr3812
May3711
Jun3711
Jul3410
Aug3310
Sep319
Oct3110
Nov278
Dec237

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Fond du Lac collects about 32.5 in of rain across 112 wet days — roughly 2.7 in in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 3.9 in, while February is the driest at just 1.5 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.

00.511.522.533.544.5JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1.51.52.33.63.63.93.23.52.92.82.01.8
Rainfall (in)Rain daysSnow days
Jan1.587
Feb1.576
Mar2.395
Apr3.6122
May3.6110
Jun3.9110
Jul3.2100
Aug3.5100
Sep2.990
Oct2.8100
Nov2.082
Dec1.876

Snow in Fond du Lac

Average snowy days through the year, the snow-season span, and estimated snowfall — for ski trips and the perennial 'will there be snow at Christmas?' question.

Fond du Lac averages about 28 snowy days a year. Snow season runs roughly Oct 22 to May 1 — about 6.3 months.

January is snowiest, with roughly 7 days of snow and an estimated 12 in of snowfall. Over the year that adds up to an estimated 52 in of snow.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecsnow seasonsnow seasonJan 18
Snow daysSnowfall (in)
Jan712
Feb612
Mar57
Apr26
May00
Jun00
Jul00
Aug00
Sep00
Oct00
Nov23
Dec610

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Fond du Lac, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 16 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around October 15. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 56% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 16 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around May 15. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 68% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 30 · 58%Nov 27 · 31%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan3367
Feb3763
Mar3862
Apr3565
May4258
Jun4852
Jul5644
Aug5545
Sep5347
Oct4258
Nov3466
Dec3268

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 17, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around December 16, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan9.17:314:35
Feb10.27:025:14
Mar11.66:155:52
Apr13.25:186:30
May14.54:347:06
Jun15.24:177:31
Jul14.94:307:28
Aug13.85:036:53
Sep12.35:395:57
Oct10.86:165:02
Nov9.56:564:22
Dec8.87:274:12

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Fond du Lac averages about 8 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 6 and 12 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.7 months, from around May 26 to Oct 16. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 11 sunny days (mixed).

The greyest month is December, down near 6 sunny days — about 47% fewer than the September peak.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedSep 412 daysDec 226 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan6Gloomy
Feb6Gloomy
Mar8Gloomy
Apr7Gloomy
May7Gloomy
Jun9Mixed
Jul11Mixed
Aug11Mixed
Sep11Mixed
Oct9Mixed
Nov7Gloomy
Dec6Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Fond du Lac, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around May 27 to September 21. The muggiest month is July, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 55% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around September 22 to May 26, and March is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMar 9 · 100%Jul 21 · 41%oppressivemuggyhumiddrycomfortablecomfortablehumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
Jan1000000
Feb1000000
Mar991000
Apr982000
May839620
Jun432517142
Jul192527218
Aug222826204
Sep59181481
Oct934210
Nov1000000
Dec1000000

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Fond du Lac is typically light breeze, near 9 mph, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 7.8 months, from around Sep 25 to May 20. The windiest month is April, averaging about 10 mph (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around May 21 to Sep 24, with August the calmest month at about 7 mph.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwindiercalmerwindiercalmlight breezebreezyApr 13 · 10 mphAug 8 · 7 mph
Wind speed (mph)Feels
Jan10light breeze
Feb10light breeze
Mar9light breeze
Apr10light breeze
May9light breeze
Jun8light breeze
Jul7calm
Aug7calm
Sep8light breeze
Oct10light breeze
Nov10light breeze
Dec9light breeze

Best time to visit Fond du Lac

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Fond du Lac throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late May, Fond du Lac is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Fond du Lac for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid May to late September, with a peak score in the first week of September.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 2 · 7.3

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan0.0poor
Feb0.0poor
Mar0.4poor
Apr3.0poor
May5.6good
Jun6.6good
Jul6.7good
Aug6.9good
Sep6.7good
Oct4.1fair
Nov0.8poor
Dec0.0poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Fond du Lac for hot-weather activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of July.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 11 · 6.5

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Fond du Lac, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 79°F), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 26°F), pack a warm layer, a heavy coat and rain gear.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In July, Fond du Lac sees daytime highs around 79°F and nights near 63°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Fond du Lac

Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 40 mi away) is warmest in August at about 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 31 to Aug 28 — about 1 month when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May42Bracing
Jun54Bracing
Jul66Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep65Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov46Bracing
Dec41Bracing

UV index (midday) in Fond du Lac by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fond du Lac peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Average hourly UV index in Fond du Lac

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan00
Feb00
Mar3.50
Apr60
May7.54
Jun8.55
Jul85
Aug7.53.5
Sep5.50
Oct10
Nov00
Dec00

Air quality in Fond du Lac by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Fond du Lac is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1415 µg/m³Nov 118 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayTypical season (≥50%)

The growing season in Fond du Lac typically lasts about 223 days, from around April 3 to November 11 — the span where a frost-free day is more likely than not. It is reliably frost-free from April 27 to October 15.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgrowing seasonFeb 2010%Apr 350%Apr 2790%Oct 1590%Nov 1150%Jan 410%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan831
Feb928
Mar2731
Apr7324
May980
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep990
Oct8815
Nov4430
Dec1531

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 50°F)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Fond du Lac banks about 2,376 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.

05001,0001,5002,0002,500JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°F·days)
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr1
May213
Jun512
Jul657
Aug597
Sep354
Oct42
Nov0
Dec0

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Fond du Lac receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.5 and 6.4 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 13 to Sep 19. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.5 kWh/m² — roughly 75% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 296.4 kWhDec 181.5 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan1.9Dim
Feb2.9Moderate
Mar4.1Bright
Apr4.9Bright
May5.8Bright
Jun6.3Intense
Jul6.2Intense
Aug5.2Bright
Sep4.2Bright
Oct2.8Moderate
Nov1.9Dim
Dec1.5Dim

Where is Fond du Lac?

Fond du Lac sits at 43.8°N, 88.4°W, 761 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oshkosh, 18 mi away.

Topography around Fond du Lac

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Fond du Lac.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fond du Lac has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 774 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 551 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 764 ft.

The land around Fond du Lac is covered by artificial surfaces (42%), trees (28%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (48%) within 10 miles, and cropland (42%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
551 ft
50 miles
764 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Oshkosh 18 mi · West Bend 27 mi · Neenah 29 mi · Menasha 30 mi · Beaver Dam 30 mi · Appleton 34 mi · Kaukauna 35 mi · Sheboygan 36 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Fond du Lac (43.775°, -88.4388°, elevation 761 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).