Madison in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Madison sees average daytime highs around 52°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 15.2 in of precipitation over about 32 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 52°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Madison's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Madison's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 52°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 36°F
- Precipitation
- 15.2 in
- 32 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 2.7
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Madison in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 52°F.
A typical winter day in Madison reaches about 52°F and drops to 36°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Madison
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 71 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Madison weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50° / 34° | 5.0 | 10.1 | 0.7 | 9.9 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 54° / 37° | 4.8 | 10.7 | 0.9 | 10.7 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 62° / 44° | 5.6 | 11.6 | 0.3 | 11.7 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 71° / 52° | 5.0 | 10.2 | 0 | 12.8 | 6.5 |
| May | 79° / 61° | 4.1 | 10.8 | 0 | 13.8 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 85° / 69° | 4.1 | 12.9 | 0 | 14.3 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 88° / 72° | 4.3 | 13.2 | 0 | 14.1 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 88° / 71° | 3.1 | 11.1 | 0 | 13.3 | 4.5 |
| Sep | 83° / 64° | 3.5 | 7.4 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| Oct | 72° / 52° | 3.4 | 7.1 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
| Nov | 61° / 42° | 4.1 | 8.9 | 0 | 10.2 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 53° / 37° | 5.4 | 10.8 | 0.3 | 9.7 | 2.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Madison gets around 15.2 in of rain and snow over 32 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.6 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Madison?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Madison.
What to pack for Madison in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Madison sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 36°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 32 days see rain.
UV index in Madison in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Madison peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Madison in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Madison is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Where is Madison?
Madison sits at 34.7°N, 86.7°W, 705 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Huntsville, 9.3 mi away.
Topography around Madison
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Madison.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madison has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 696 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 735 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,611 ft.
The land around Madison is covered by trees (43%), artificial surfaces (30%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), grassland (22%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (25%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Madison (34.6993°, -86.7483°, elevation 705 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.