We’re on track for one of our warmest Octobers in the last 100+ years

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - October 2026 has been one of the warmest Octobers in recent memory in North Central Wisconsin and in Wausau.

The record-breaking warmth from October 10-12, as well as all of the sunny and mild days the previous week, elevated temperatures well above average for the month. In addition, “cooler” days have only been slightly cooler than average.

It’s no surprise that October will finish as a warmer-than-average month; it’s just a matter of how much.

The daily average temperature is calculated by adding the high temperature and low temperature of the day and dividing by 2. This process is repeated every day throughout a calendar month. To get the monthly average temperature, you add together all of the daily average temperatures for the month and then divide by the number of days within that month.

Through Tuesday, October 27, Wausau has averaged 54.8° in for all of October 2026. That ranks in the top five for warmest Octobers on record since 1900 (it currently ranks fourth). Ironically, 1900 is one of the two years tied for the warmest October on record in Wausau.

To remain in the top five, Wausau must have an average daily temperature of 44° or higher spanning Wednesday, October 28 through Saturday, which is Halloween. If we were to average exactly 44° over this stretch, that would put 2026 in a three-way tie with 1971 & 1914 for the fifth warmest October on record (53.4°). Given that temperatures are expected to remain above average to round out the month and how little of the month there is left, October 2026 will likely go down as one of the top five warmest Octobers on record in Wausau. If you want to see the forecast for yourself and how warm we are expected to be, you can find that out here.

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