La Crosse in Fall

In fall (September, October and November), La Crosse sees average daytime highs around 57°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 8.0 in of precipitation over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 37°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is La Crosse's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see La Crosse's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
57°F
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
41°F
Precipitation
8.0 in
25 wet days
Avg wind
8 mph
Travel score
4.0
2nd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in La Crosse in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 37°F by late November.

A typical fall day in La Crosse reaches about 57°F and drops to 41°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.

20°40°60°80°SepOctNov

How fall really feels in La Crosse

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 37 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
37
1 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

La Crosse weather by month

How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 11°1.376.59.10.0
Feb30° / 15°1.365.210.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.38.94.211.60.8
Apr56° / 38°3.811.5213.23.6
May68° / 50°4.2130.114.55.8
Jun77° / 60°4.712.1015.26.4
Jul81° / 64°3.910.5014.96.5
Aug78° / 62°3.49.8013.86.8
Sep71° / 53°3.29.4012.36.8
Oct58° / 41°2.88.60.410.84.4
Nov43° / 29°2.07.22.89.50.7
Dec30° / 17°1.6768.80.0

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitationSnow

La Crosse gets around 8.0 in of rain and snow over 25 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%SepOctNov

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Fall

Winds average 8 mph across fall.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early September to 9 hours by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.0 kWh/m².

024SepOctNov
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit La Crosse?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

4.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in La Crosse.

What to pack for La Crosse in Fall

From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In fall, La Crosse sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 41°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in La Crosse in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in La Crosse peaks around June 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 14UV 9Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in La Crosse in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in La Crosse is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Good
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is La Crosse?

La Crosse sits at 43.8°N, 91.2°W, 669 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is North La Crosse, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around La Crosse

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of La Crosse.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around La Crosse has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft around an average of 676 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 719 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 ft.

The land around La Crosse is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (29%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) within 10 miles, and trees (53%) and cropland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
597 ft
10 miles
719 ft
50 miles
860 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
Fall weather nearby: North La Crosse 3.1 mi · Onalaska 5.6 mi · Winona 26 mi · Rochester 63 mi · Eau Claire 71 mi · Marshfield 80 mi · Wisconsin Rapids 81 mi · Menomonie 81 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 La Crosse (43.8014°, -91.2396°, elevation 669 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.