Big Lake Water Temperature
Big Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin averages about 59°F at the surface in summer — warmest in Sep (~66°F) and coldest in May (~49°F). These are typical values by month, not a live reading.
Typical water temperature by month
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 134 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. Months with too few readings are left blank.
Is Big Lake warm enough to swim?
Wetsuit territory. Brief exposure is tolerable but prolonged swimming without protection risks hypothermia.
Want more than temperature? Big Lake scored B on water quality — clarity, algae, phosphorus, depth, fish species, and swimming safety, all on one report card.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the water temperature of Big Lake?
Big Lake has a typical summer surface temperature of about 59°F. It is usually warmest in September (around 66°F) and coldest in May (around 49°F). These are typical values by month from 134 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025), not a live reading.
When is Big Lake warmest?
Surface water at Big Lake is typically warmest in September, reaching about 66°F. Lake surface temperature lags air temperature by several weeks, so the warmest water usually arrives in mid-to-late summer even though the hottest air can come earlier.
Is Big Lake warm enough to swim?
At its typical summer peak of about 59°F, Big Lake rates as "cold" for swimming. Wetsuit territory. Brief exposure is tolerable but prolonged swimming without protection risks hypothermia.
Where does this Big Lake water temperature data come from?
Every temperature on this page is a typical (climatological) value computed from real surface-water field readings collected by state and federal agencies and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal — 134 readings from 3 monitoring stations between 2024 and 2025. They describe what is typical for each month, not the temperature right now.
About this data
Water temperatures are a climatology — the typical value for each month, averaged from real surface-water field readings collected by state and federal agencies and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. They tell you what to expect, not the temperature at this moment. Actual conditions vary with recent weather, depth, and time of day.