Minneapolis climate
Minneapolis (Minnesota, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 7 °C45 °F, and about 839 mm33 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Minneapolis climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −622 | −155 | −1013 | 180.7 | 31 |
| Feb | −326 | −147 | −916 | 271.0 | 28 |
| Mar | 541 | −621 | 031 | 441.7 | 26 |
| Apr | 1356 | 134 | 745 | 823.2 | 13 |
| May | 2068 | 846 | 1457 | 1094.3 | 2 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1458 | 2068 | 1305.1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2984 | 1763 | 2373 | 943.7 | 0 |
| Aug | 2781 | 1560 | 2170 | 1074.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1152 | 1762 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1457 | 337 | 847 | 702.8 | 9 |
| Nov | 542 | −425 | 133 | 331.3 | 23 |
| Dec | −327 | −1112 | −719 | 371.5 | 30 |
| Year | 2984 | −155 | 745 | 83933 | 162 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88% | 62% | 1.8 | 9:08 |
| Feb | 86% | 61% | 3.0 | 10:21 |
| Mar | 78% | 67% | 3.7 | 11:47 |
| Apr | 71% | 61% | 4.7 | 13:26 |
| May | 71% | 63% | 5.4 | 14:50 |
| Jun | 73% | 58% | 6.0 | 15:35 |
| Jul | 70% | 46% | 6.4 | 15:17 |
| Aug | 70% | 49% | 5.4 | 14:04 |
| Sep | 71% | 49% | 4.2 | 12:27 |
| Oct | 74% | 59% | 2.7 | 10:52 |
| Nov | 79% | 63% | 1.8 | 9:28 |
| Dec | 87% | 69% | 1.3 | 8:47 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Minneapolis is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −6 °C22 °F and lows −15 °C5 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 33.4 °C60.1 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 839 mm33 in. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 40% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January. The wettest month is June (130 mm5.1 in), the driest is January (18 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in July to 88% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 46%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in August to 12 km/h (7 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 8.8 hours in December to 15.6 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in November–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in February, about 18 cm).
Best time to visit Minneapolis
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July–September: average highs of 23 °C73 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 89 mm3.5 in to 107 mm4.2 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −6 °C22 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Minneapolis
- Winter (December–February) — highs −622 to −3 °C27 °F, lows −155 to −11 °C12 °F, about 27 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 541 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −621 to 8 °C46 °F, about 78 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1458 to 17 °C63 °F, about 110 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 542 to 23 °C73 °F, lows −425 to 11 °C52 °F, about 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Minneapolis compares
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Minneapolis is the 220th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 140th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Nakhodka (Russia, Dwa), Staryy Oskol (Russia, Dfb) and Manpo (North Korea, Dwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Saint Paul (pop. 303,176). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Minneapolis, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Rochester 124 km · 7 °C45 °F · 886 mm35 in
- Sioux Falls 319 km · 9 °C47 °F · 669 mm26 in
- Fargo 345 km · 6 °C43 °F · 608 mm24 in
- Cedar Rapids 355 km · 9 °C49 °F · 922 mm36 in
- Madison 375 km · 8 °C47 °F · 970 mm38 in
- Des Moines 377 km · 10 °C51 °F · 884 mm35 in
- Green Bay 417 km · 8 °C46 °F · 878 mm35 in
- Davenport 442 km · 10 °C51 °F · 924 mm36 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Minneapolis?
July is the warmest month in Minneapolis, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Minneapolis?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -6 °C (22 °F) and an average low of -15 °C (5 °F).
When does it rain the most in Minneapolis?
June is the wettest month with about 130 mm (5.1 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 18 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Minneapolis?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.