What is the hottest day ever recorded in Milwaukee?

Milwaukee's hottest day on record reached 103°F, set on August 1, 1988. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 46°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 57°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.

What is the record high temperature in Milwaukee?

The all-time record high in Milwaukee is 103°F, recorded on August 1, 1988. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.

What is the coldest day ever recorded in Milwaukee?

Milwaukee's coldest day on record bottomed out at -26°F, set on January 17, 1982. Like the record high, it comes from the station's complete daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.

What is the record low temperature in Milwaukee?

The all-time record low in Milwaukee is -26°F, recorded on January 17, 1982. The gap between that and the 103°F record high — a span of 129°F — is the full range of temperatures Milwaukee has experienced across its long-term daily record.

Is it normal to be this hot in Milwaukee?

It depends on how far above Milwaukee's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 57°F; the all-time record of 103°F (set 1988) sits about 46°F above that. The anomaly readout at the top of this page compares the current temperature against this month's normal high, so you can see exactly how unusual today is rather than guessing.

When did Milwaukee set its temperature records?

Milwaukee's record high of 103°F was set in 1988 (August 1, 1988), and its record low of -26°F in 1982 (January 17, 1982). Both are pulled from the station's complete daily record going back to 1938, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.

Has Milwaukee been getting hotter?

Yes — Milwaukee's annual mean temperature has trended about 2.9°F warmer since 1938, in line with the long-term warming seen across nearly every US city. That gradual shift in the average is separate from the all-time records above, which mark the single most extreme days rather than the trend, but a warming baseline is part of why recent years more often brush up against the record-high end.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Weather Records

The hottest and coldest days Milwaukee has ever recorded — and how today compares to normal

Milwaukee, WI · Today vs. normal

5°F below the June normal

Right now it’s 72°F in Milwaukee — about 5° below the June normal high of 77°F.

Milwaukee’s all-time temperature records

Hottest day on record: 103°Fset August 1, 1988
Coldest day on record: -26°Fset January 17, 1982

That is a 129°F span between the hottest and coldest days Milwaukee has ever recorded — the full range of what its weather has done across the station’s record back to 1938.

How extreme Milwaukee’s weather gets

Milwaukee’s weather is usually mild by its own standards — a typical year averages a daily high near 57°F, and the normal high for June runs about 77°F. The records sit well outside that everyday range. The hottest day on record reached 103°F in 1988 — roughly 46°F above a typical year’s average high, the kind of gap that turns an ordinary summer into a genuine heat event.

At the other end, Milwaukee has bottomed out at -26°F (1982). Together the two extremes span 129°F — the full width of what this place’s weather has done across the station’s daily record back to 1938. Those edges are exactly why the anomaly readout at the top of this page is worth a glance: it shows where today falls between the normal and the record, so a hot afternoon can be judged against the real history rather than a hunch. A reading a few degrees over the June normal is ordinary; one pushing toward the 103°F record is the rare event the record marks.

Frequently asked

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Milwaukee?: Milwaukee's hottest day on record reached 103°F, set on August 1, 1988. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 46°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 57°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.
What is the record high temperature in Milwaukee?: The all-time record high in Milwaukee is 103°F, recorded on August 1, 1988. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.
What is the coldest day ever recorded in Milwaukee?: Milwaukee's coldest day on record bottomed out at -26°F, set on January 17, 1982. Like the record high, it comes from the station's complete daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.
What is the record low temperature in Milwaukee?: The all-time record low in Milwaukee is -26°F, recorded on January 17, 1982. The gap between that and the 103°F record high — a span of 129°F — is the full range of temperatures Milwaukee has experienced across its long-term daily record.
Is it normal to be this hot in Milwaukee?: It depends on how far above Milwaukee's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 57°F; the all-time record of 103°F (set 1988) sits about 46°F above that. The anomaly readout at the top of this page compares the current temperature against this month's normal high, so you can see exactly how unusual today is rather than guessing.
When did Milwaukee set its temperature records?: Milwaukee's record high of 103°F was set in 1988 (August 1, 1988), and its record low of -26°F in 1982 (January 17, 1982). Both are pulled from the station's complete daily record going back to 1938, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.
Has Milwaukee been getting hotter?: Yes — Milwaukee's annual mean temperature has trended about 2.9°F warmer since 1938, in line with the long-term warming seen across nearly every US city. That gradual shift in the average is separate from the all-time records above, which mark the single most extreme days rather than the trend, but a warming baseline is part of why recent years more often brush up against the record-high end.

More for Milwaukee

See the full Milwaukee, WI weather forecast — hour-by-hour outlook, NOAA radar, satellite, and air quality — or the broader Milwaukee climate & weather by month for the long-run averages behind these records.