How Severe Has Wisconsin’s Weather Really Been This Winter Compared To Other Years?

Even though there's plenty of winter left yet, I feel like most people in Wisconsin tend to think February is the downhill slide toward springtime.

The sun is up longer, and the odds of seeing brutal cold are starting to decrease...albeit, not go away quite yet. Sure, there's still plenty of opportunities for snow yet, too, but there's a bit of weather optimism driven by the longer days.

As it may feel like the corner is being turned, how harsh has Wisconsin's winter been so far? While that can feel like a pretty subjective question, there is actually a scientific measurement scale for recording just how severe a winter's weather has been.

The team at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center tracks a lot of different weather data points each year. One of them is something they call the "Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index" (or AWSSI for short).

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What this severity index does is combine winter weather elements like temperature and precipitation into a severity score. Combining that data through the winter, the AWSSI then ranks the winter on a 5-tier severity scale.

The severity scale is as follows:

• Extreme: Most severe
• Severe: Second-most severe
• Average: Average severity
• Moderate: Below average severity
• Mild: Least severe

So, how severe has Wisconsin's winter been to this point? Here's a look.

How severe has Wisconsin's Winter Of 2025-2026 been?

The AWSSI report for this winter so far paints a picture that varies depending on what part of Wisconsin you live in.

In western portions of Wisconsin, like La Crosse and Eau Claire, even up to Superior, it's been a pretty average winter to this point. This matches what is seen across the border in the eastern parts of Minnesota.

The further east you head, however, the worse things have been this winter.

Central and eastern portions of Wisconsin, like Madison, Wausau, Minocqua, Green Bay, and Milwaukee, have all seen what the AWSSI ranks as a "severe" winter to this point.

This is a notable difference from the last two winters, which were ranked mild pretty much statewide.

The good news is that the outlook for the rest of the winter from the Midwest Regional Climate Center suggests things will moderate, with some parts of the state moving from "severe" to "average" heading into March.

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That seems likely as far as the temperature parts of the equation are concerned, but some heavy snow could push those rankings toward the more severe side of things in the closing weeks of the winter season.