Aitkin, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Aitkin's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 31.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.8°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 26°C, 810 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAitkin (2 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00210059
- Location46.53°N 93.67°W
- Elevation1,215 ft (370 m)
- Population2,174
On October 22, the normal high in Aitkin is 51°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Aitkin.
- Jan 19° 0°
- Feb 25° 4°
- Mar 37° 15°
- Apr 52° 29°
- May 65° 40°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 79° 56°
- Aug 77° 54°
- Sep 69° 46°
- Oct 55° 34°
- Nov 38° 22°
- Dec 25° 10°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Aitkin each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.74 in), the least in February (0.98 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 0°F | 9.5°F | 1.09 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 4°F | 14.1°F | 0.98 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 15°F | 26.1°F | 1.69 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 29°F | 40.4°F | 2.82 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 40°F | 52.7°F | 3.84 | 10 | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 51°F | 62.9°F | 4.44 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 79°F | 56°F | 67.6°F | 4.74 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 77°F | 54°F | 65.3°F | 3.29 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 46°F | 57.1°F | 3.10 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 34°F | 44.3°F | 2.93 | 9 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 22°F | 29.8°F | 1.73 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 25°F | 10°F | 17.1°F | 1.25 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 30°F | 40.6°F | 31.90 | 93 | 3 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −18°C | −12.5°C | 28 mm |
| February | −4°C | −16°C | −9.9°C | 25 mm |
| March | 3°C | −9°C | −3.3°C | 43 mm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 72 mm |
| May | 19°C | 4°C | 11.5°C | 98 mm |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.2°C | 113 mm |
| July | 26°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 120 mm |
| August | 25°C | 12°C | 18.5°C | 84 mm |
| September | 20°C | 8°C | 13.9°C | 79 mm |
| October | 13°C | 1°C | 6.8°C | 74 mm |
| November | 3°C | −6°C | −1.2°C | 44 mm |
| December | −4°C | −12°C | −8.3°C | 32 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Isle (12 mi N) (16 miles away), gets 43 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210059; 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.
When is the best weather to visit Aitkin?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (9).
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 USC00210059.
When is the last frost in Aitkin?
In Aitkin, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 12 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 161 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 12; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 133 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 157 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 4 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Aitkin in zone 4a in ZIP code 56431, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Aitkin's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°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 USC00210059; 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 in Aitkin?
In a normal year in Aitkin, 3 days a year reach 90°F, 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 93 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 187a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 93high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 93a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00210059.
How sunny is Aitkin?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Aitkin, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 1.6 |
| February | 76% | 2.7 |
| March | 73% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 68% | 5.4 |
| June | 72% | 5.9 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 72% | 3.8 |
| October | 65% | 2.4 |
| November | 63% | 1.5 |
| December | 60% | 1.1 |
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 much heating and cooling does Aitkin need?
A normal year in Aitkin brings 9,141 heating degree days, 70% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 270 cooling degree days, 70% 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 1,868 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,722 | 0 |
| February | 1,425 | 0 |
| March | 1,206 | 0 |
| April | 738 | 0 |
| May | 390 | 7 |
| June | 114 | 51 |
| July | 36 | 117 |
| August | 67 | 75 |
| September | 257 | 19 |
| October | 645 | 1 |
| November | 1,056 | 0 |
| December | 1,486 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,141 | 270 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210059. 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.
Has Aitkin been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 43.9°F, 3.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.6°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.9°F | +3.3°F | 24.00 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00210059. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Aitkin's climate compare?
Aitkin is warmer than 37 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 83. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.6°F is warmer than 7%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Aitkin 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 Aitkin share this climate record?
2 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.
- Deerwood, MN570 people · 12 mi W
- Cuyuna, MN327 people · 12 mi W
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 Aitkin's climate
What is the coldest month in Aitkin?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Aitkin?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Aitkin's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Isle (12 mi N) (16 miles away), records 43 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Aitkin?
July, with 4.74 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.98 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Aitkin in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Aitkin in zone 4a in ZIP code 56431, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Aitkin's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −26°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Aitkin?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Isle (12 mi N), MN16 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Pine River Dam, MN23 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Brainerd, MN24 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Sandy Lake Dam Libby, MN25 miles from this station, 40.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made