7 Day Forecast
It's going to be very cold for awhile, which means many of us are looking at a weekend of hot soups and cozy blankets.
How cold did it get on Friday? Officially, the low recorded at the Dane County Regional Airport was 18 below at 8:17 a.m. As cold as it was, it wasn't close to the record low for Madison for Jan. 23 of 27 below set in 1963.
Bode Houston and Katherine Chapman contend with the morning’s frigid temperatures while making their way past a mural featuring a seasonal motif along West Gilman Street in Madison.
The record for lowest high temperature for Jan. 23 also was set in 1963 at 9 below. Madison's high on Friday actually happened at 12:20 a.m. when it was 4 below.
National Weather Service meteorologist Marcia Cronce said unofficial lows Friday morning across Wisconsin were 15 below in Milwaukee, 17 below in Janesville, 19 below in Green Bay, 20 below in La Crosse, 24 below in Eau Claire, 26 below in Ashland and Eagle River, and 27 below in Superior.
On Saturday, Madison's high was 3 below at 11:59 p.m., after a low of 19 below at 4:20 a.m. that was shy of the record low of 24 below for Jan. 24 set in 1936.
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Madison is forecast to get back above zero on Sunday with a high near 8.
Enjoying a rare cancellation of classes due to the region’s bitter cold, UW-Madison students Madeline Freeman, left, Cici Stender, center, and Hayden Mengason return to campus following a morning workout.
Highs Monday through Saturday should be near 11, 12, 11, 12, 16, and 19, and lows Sunday night through Friday night around 7 below, 2, 3 below, 5 below, 1 below, and 2.
With that forecast, the National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory from midnight until noon Monday, with wind chill values of 20 below to 25 below.Â
The good news is no snowstorms are in the forecast.
Here are some other things you might want to know.
When will it be above zero again?
Expect temperatures to be below zero until Sunday, when the high is expected near 8.
When was the last time it was this cold?
The last time the temperature was this cold was Jan. 26, 2022, when it was 18 below, and the last time it reached 20 below was Jan. 31, 2019, when it was 26 below.
Lindsey Jager contends with the area’s influx of arctic air while walking along Langdon Street to her workplace on the campus of UW-Madison.
What was the all-time coldest temperature in January?
The all-time coldest temperature in Madison was 37 below on Jan. 30, 1951.
"You kind of see a theme with the dates," National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Boxell said. "The last week of January and first week of February are climatologically the coldest."
What was the coldest day ever in Wisconsin?
The all-time coldest day in Wisconsin was 55 degrees below zero on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 in Couderay in Sawyer County in northern Wisconsin.
Photos: Frigid weather takes hold in Madison
Lindsey Jager contends with the area’s influx of arctic air while walking along Langdon Street to her workplace on the campus of UW-Madison.
Enjoying a rare cancellation of classes due to the region’s bitter cold, UW-Madison students Madeline Freeman, left, Cici Stender, center, and Hayden Mengason return to campus following a morning workout.
Bode Houston and Katherine Chapman contend with the morning’s frigid temperatures while making their way past a mural featuring a seasonal motif along West Gilman Street in Madison.
A pedestrian along Langdon Street contends with sub-zero temperatures while walking across the campus of UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
City of Madison Water Utility employees, including lead Chris Kreft, right, Jacob Reithmeyer, left, and Branden Garde, work on a water main break on Homer Court, near Olin Avenue, as frigid temperatures move through the area in the Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
City of Madison Water Utility employee, Branden Garde, works with a crew on a water main break on Homer Court, near Olin Avenue, as frigid temperatures move through the area in the Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A cyclist makes their way on West Shore Drive along Monona Bay as frigid temperatures move through the area in the Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Mitch Tucker, of Waunakee, ice fishes outside of his ice shanty on Monona Bay after being called off of his construction job due to the frigid temperatures in the Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Matt Johnson walks his 10-year-old Australian Shepherd, Sparky Bear, as frigid temperatures move through the area in the Madison, Wis. Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
