Agassiz Refuge, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Agassiz Refuge's normal year runs from −3°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 24.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.8°C, January lows of −20°C, July highs of 27°C, 620 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAgassiz Refuge
- Station IDUSC00210050
- Location48.30°N 95.98°W
- Elevation1,142 ft (348 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Agassiz Refuge is 51°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Agassiz Refuge.
- Jan 16° -3°
- Feb 22° 0°
- Mar 36° 15°
- Apr 53° 31°
- May 67° 44°
- Jun 77° 55°
- Jul 81° 59°
- Aug 80° 57°
- Sep 70° 48°
- Oct 54° 34°
- Nov 36° 19°
- Dec 21° 5°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Agassiz Refuge each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −3°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.04 in), the least in February (0.53 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | −3°F | 6.3°F | 0.60 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 22°F | 0°F | 11.3°F | 0.53 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 36°F | 15°F | 25.7°F | 0.75 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 31°F | 41.6°F | 1.38 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 67°F | 44°F | 55.7°F | 3.15 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 77°F | 55°F | 65.9°F | 3.92 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 81°F | 59°F | 69.7°F | 4.04 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 80°F | 57°F | 68.3°F | 3.25 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 70°F | 48°F | 59.2°F | 2.70 | 10 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 34°F | 44.3°F | 2.16 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 19°F | 27.6°F | 1.07 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 21°F | 5°F | 13.0°F | 0.85 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 30°F | 40.7°F | 24.40 | 113 | 4 | 183 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −20°C | −14.3°C | 15 mm |
| February | −5°C | −18°C | −11.5°C | 13 mm |
| March | 2°C | −9°C | −3.5°C | 19 mm |
| April | 12°C | −1°C | 5.3°C | 35 mm |
| May | 19°C | 7°C | 13.2°C | 80 mm |
| June | 25°C | 13°C | 18.8°C | 100 mm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 103 mm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 83 mm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 15.1°C | 69 mm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.8°C | 55 mm |
| November | 2°C | −7°C | −2.4°C | 27 mm |
| December | −6°C | −15°C | −10.6°C | 22 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210050; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Agassiz Refuge?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (10).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210050.
When is the last frost at Agassiz Refuge?
In Agassiz Refuge, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 20 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 61 year in 10 after May 20; 9 in 10 after April 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 148 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 166 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 28 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Agassiz Refuge in zone 3b in ZIP code 56737, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −31°F (16 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00210050; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Agassiz Refuge?
In a normal year in Agassiz Refuge, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 183 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 113 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 183a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 100high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 113a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1957) is 101°F, on June 4, 2021; the lowest is −46°F, on February 2, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1998, with 29.16 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 67.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00210050; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00210050. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Agassiz Refuge?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Agassiz Refuge, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (80%) and November the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 1.4 |
| February | 80% | 2.6 |
| March | 76% | 3.8 |
| April | 72% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.5 |
| June | 71% | 5.8 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 73% | 3.8 |
| October | 64% | 2.3 |
| November | 61% | 1.3 |
| December | 62% | 1.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Agassiz Refuge record?
A normal year at Agassiz Refuge brings 9,275 heating degree days, 73% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 470 cooling degree days, 48% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,275 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,820 | 0 |
| February | 1,504 | 0 |
| March | 1,218 | 0 |
| April | 701 | 1 |
| May | 309 | 22 |
| June | 72 | 98 |
| July | 23 | 167 |
| August | 37 | 141 |
| September | 213 | 39 |
| October | 644 | 2 |
| November | 1,122 | 0 |
| December | 1,613 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,275 | 470 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210050. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Agassiz Refuge been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 42.4°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.7°F. 1 of the 3 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 36.8°F | −3.9°F | – |
| 2023 | 40.7°F | at normal | – |
| 2024 | 42.4°F | +1.7°F | 29.14 |
Over 37 complete years from 1958 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 7.1°F per century (+0.40°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00210050; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Agassiz Refuge's climate compare?
Agassiz Refuge is warmer than 39 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.7°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Agassiz Refuge is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Agassiz Refuge share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Greenbush, MN674 people · 29 mi N
- Newfolden, MN343 people · 16 mi W
- Middle River, MN294 people · 12 mi NW
- Holt, MN87 people · 10 mi W
- Strathcona, MN28 people · 19 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Agassiz Refuge's climate
What is the coldest month at Agassiz Refuge?
January, with a normal high of 16°F and a normal low of −3°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 59°F at night).
What is the rainiest month at Agassiz Refuge?
July, with 4.04 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.53 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Agassiz Refuge in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Agassiz Refuge in zone 3b in ZIP code 56737, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −31°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 3b.
How late can frost come at Agassiz Refuge?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 20. Waiting until May 20 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Goodridge (12 mi NNW), MN5 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Thief River Falls 2, MN15 miles from this station, 39.9°F a year
- Red Lake Falls, MN32 miles from this station, 39.8°F a year
- Thorhult, MN34 miles from this station, 39.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made