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Minneapolis weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

One of the coldest big cities in the United States, Minneapolis embraces its deep-continental seasons: snow-blanketed, sub-zero winters and warm, green summers on the banks of the upper Mississippi. Minneapolis weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+8.7°Fhigh well above average

67° / 42°Today
58° / 40°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.1°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49135frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 148 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 148 in the 1940s25days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 19 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 19 in the 1940s+3.1°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.1 incheshigh 22°low 7°February, rain 1.1 incheshigh 28°low 11°March, rain 2.3 incheshigh 40°low 23°April, rain 3.3 incheshigh 56°low 37°May, rain 4.1 incheshigh 69°low 49°June, rain 4.6 incheshigh 78°low 60°July, rain 3.7 incheshigh 83°low 64°August, rain 4.1 incheshigh 80°low 62°September, rain 3.5 incheshigh 72°low 53°October, rain 2.5 incheshigh 59°low 42°November, rain 2.1 incheshigh 41°low 27°December, rain 1.5 incheshigh 27°low 13°wettest month June, 4.6 inches · 33.9 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

46.0°

42°feels like
80%humidity
40°dew point
5 mphfrom SE
UV index0.0
sunrise07:35sunset18:19day length10h 44m
TodayClear67°42°
WedClear71°44°
ThuClear74°57°
FriOvercast75°58°
SatOvercast74°57°
SunClear64°48°
MonOvercast50°41°

On this date: October 20

Today (forecast)
67° / 42°
Average for October 20
58° / 40°

High well above average · +8.7°F

  • Highest since 1940: 81.8° · 1953
  • Lowest since 1940: 20.4° · 1952
  • One year ago: 60° / 40°

Every October 20 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 20 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Minneapolis is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 44.98°N, 93.26°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
44.98°N, 93.26°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

24 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +5.4°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Minneapolis has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), set deep in the continental interior of the Upper Midwest, far from any ocean. That inland position gives it one of the largest seasonal temperature ranges of any major U.S. city: long, cold, snowy winters give way to warm, often hot and humid summers, with brief, changeable springs and autumns in between.

Winter is the defining season: sustained sub-freezing cold, lasting snow cover and biting wind chills are routine, and deep cold snaps can be severe. Summers swing fully the other way, warm and humid and sometimes hot. It is the sheer breadth between the seasons, more than any single weather type, that gives the Twin Cities their reputation for climatic extremes.

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 82.8°F and nights around 64.3°F. Roughly 25 days a year now top 86°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 22.4°F and overnight lows sit around 6.8°F. Frost shows up on around 135 mornings a year.

The yearly total for Minneapolis comes to about 33.9 inches; monthly amounts range from 1.1 inches in February up to 4.6 inches in June.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Minneapolis now averages 3.1°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 10% over the long-term average.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 59°F. Wettest month: June (~4.6 in). Whole year averages ~33.9 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 84 rainy days a year: most in June (~10), fewest in February (~4).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Minneapolis month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January22.4°6.8°1.1 in48.9 h52.8° (1981)−33.0° (1951)
February27.7°11.0°1.1 in410.2 h62.1° (2024)−31.9° (1996)
March40.0°23.0°2.3 in611.6 h80.0° (1986)−27.4° (1962)
April56.3°36.8°3.3 in813.3 h90.8° (1980)5.4° (1979)
May69.3°49.4°4.1 in1014.6 h97.0° (2018)22.4° (1967)
June78.4°59.7°4.6 in1015.4 h98.8° (1988)35.6° (1945)
July82.8°64.3°3.7 in915.1 h102.1° (1988)47.0° (1969)
August80.4°61.8°4.1 in913.9 h100.1° (1988)41.0° (1950)
September71.6°53.0°3.5 in812.3 h97.3° (2023)26.2° (1965)
October58.9°41.7°2.5 in610.7 h89.7° (2023)15.6° (1972)
November40.9°27.5°2.1 in59.3 h75.2° (2022)−15.2° (1964)
December27.0°13.4°1.5 in58.6 h60.6° (1998)−27.7° (1983)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.1°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.44°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Dec–Feb is warming fastest: +0.58°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 18.5 early in the record → 25.4 recently. Frost days: 148 → 135.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1988, coldest in 1951: 102.1°F / −33.0°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~33.9 in/year on average. Last decade: +10% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.31 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Minneapolis

Which is the warmest month in Minneapolis?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Minneapolis is July (mean daily temperature of about 72.8°F) and the coolest is January (about 13.7°F).
How does today's temperature in Minneapolis compare to the historical average?
On October 20, 2026, Minneapolis is forecast to reach a high of 66.6°F and a low of 41.5°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 57.9°F and a low of 39.9°F, so today's high is 8.7°F warmer than that average.
How much has Minneapolis warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Minneapolis is about 3.1°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Minneapolis?
Minneapolis receives about 33.9 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with June typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Minneapolis?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Minneapolis is about 45.2°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Minneapolis by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Minneapolis (°F, full record since 1940): January 22°/7°, February 28°/11°, March 40°/23°, April 56°/37°, May 69°/49°, June 78°/60°, July 83°/64°, August 80°/62°, September 72°/53°, October 59°/42°, November 41°/27°, December 27°/13°.
What is the weather like in Minneapolis in summer?
In summer, June through August, Minneapolis is wet and warm. Afternoons run 78–83°F and nights 60–64°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 4.1 inches a month, spread over roughly 9 days. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Minneapolis in winter?
December to February is winter in Minneapolis, and it is cold, with afternoons close to freezing. Expect 22–28°F by day and 7–13°F at night, with January the coldest month. Snow is steady at around 1.2 inches of precipitation a month, spread over roughly 4 days. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Minneapolis in spring?
In spring, March through May, Minneapolis is cool. March starts at 40°F by day and 23°F at night; by May it is 69°F and 49°F. Rain picks up through the season: 6 rainy days and 2.3 inches in March, 10 days and 4.1 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Minneapolis in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Minneapolis, and it is cool. September still brings 72°F afternoons and 53°F nights, November only 41°F and 27°F. Rain eases through the season: 8 rainy days and 3.5 inches in September, 5 days and 2.1 inches in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Minneapolis?
On long-term average, Minneapolis has about 84 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 33.9 inches.

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