Albert Lea, MN Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Albert Lea's primary NOAA station, ALBERT LEA 3SE.
The climate verdict for Albert Lea
Winter sets the terms in Albert Lea, Minnesota. A pronounced 57.8°F seasonal swing and heating demand above twice the cooling total frame an annual average of 45°F. Its climate comfort score of 59/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 45°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 59/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 35.8"
- annual precipitation · 40" snow
- 165 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Albert Lea: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00210075 · Albert Lea, MN 45°F mean · 35.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 45°F
- RANK-COOL #1,372
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Miller
- PRCP-MID 35.8"
- SWING-WIDE 58°F
- COMF-MID 59/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,828 HDD
- STN-1 USC00210075
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Miller, SD (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every MN station list.
- Albert Lea (this station) 45°F
- Cold Maurine, SD 45°F
- Hot Terry, MT 45°F
- Near Miller, SD 45°F
- Near Timber Lake, SD 45°F
Albert Lea sits in Minnesota, the #3 coldest U.S. state at 42.2°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Albert Lea
Albert Lea: 42/100 · grade D
Albert Lea publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Albert Lea, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 59/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 35.8 in · 0.8 from 35 in | 94/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 160 calendar days | 39/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 165 days/year | 38/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 39.5 inches/year | 28/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 45.2°F · 22.3° from 67.5°F | 20/100 · F |
Albert Lea · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Albert Lea is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 14.2°F and warmest-month mean 72.0°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 72.0°F
- Coldest month
- 14.2°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Albert Lea sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Albert Lea's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 80%
- Among 6,861 stations, Albert Lea sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 49th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 95%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Albert Lea is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Albert Lea compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Albert Lea's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
59 37th percentile score exceeds 37% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Albert Lea's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 97 complete annual observations from 1886 to 2025, ALBERT LEA 3SE warmed at a fitted rate of 0.13°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Albert Lea primary station fitted change +0.13 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F (-5°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 0.9" | 8.9" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 27°F (-3°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 0.9" | 9.8" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 40°F (4°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 1.9" | 6.6" | 25.2 | 0.0 |
| April | 55°F (13°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.7" | 2.8" | 10.6 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 4.8" | 0.3" | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| June | 78°F (26°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 5.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| July | 82°F (28°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.4 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| September | 73°F (23°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| October | 59°F (15°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.6" | 0.3" | 10.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 42°F (6°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 1.5" | 2.7" | 23.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 28°F (-2°C) | 13°F (-10°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 1.1" | 8.1" | 30.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 82°F around July 10, short of 90°F on every date, while 160 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 5°F near January 21.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 6, then returns to freezing around October 30, covering 160 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 28, when 42% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 7 at 22%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 111 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Albert Lea.
Where Albert Lea Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Albert Lea earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 8.9"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.8"
6.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.6"
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.8"
11.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
12.9 days with precipitation
12.4 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
9.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
6.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.1"
7.2 days with precipitation
Albert Lea runs a summer-peaked wet season
41% of Albert Lea's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 5.4", on a wide 57.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, July, taking 42% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.9".
- Winter share: 8% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Albert Lea's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 111 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 35.8" between them, or roughly 0.32 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Albert Lea
Albert Lea averages 39.5 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 23 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 39.5 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 23 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 11% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 27
50% probability date
Growing Season
165 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,828
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
650
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MN closest to Albert Lea on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (45°F here).
- Brillion, WI 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Easton, WA 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Freeville, NY 45°F · 0.0°F off
- Gann Valley, SD 45°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (35.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Charlotte, MI 35.8" · 0.0" off
- Sault Ste Marie, MI 35.8" · 0.0" off
- Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 35.8" · 0.0" off
- Emporia, KS 35.8" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Albert Lea
heating led · moderate · high swing
Winter and seasonal range jointly define this record. Albert Lea logs 7,828 heating degree days, more than twice its 650 cooling total, while the typical coldest-to-warmest-month gap reaches 57.8°F. The annual mean therefore compresses two materially different seasons.
Albert Lea's frost-free season lasts about 165 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Albert Lea coldest normal
January
Averaging 14°F (-10°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Albert Lea typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Albert Lea snow peak
February
Albert Lea averages 39.5 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Albert Lea's climate
How much snow does Albert Lea get? ▼
How cold does Albert Lea get in winter? ▼
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Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Albert Lea's primary station: ALBERT LEA 3SE (USC00210075). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 2700694). Match rule for Albert Lea: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Albert Lea comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.