Alexandria, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Alexandria's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 24.1 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.8°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 27°C, 612 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationAlexandria Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00014910
- Location45.87°N 95.39°W
- Elevation1,416 ft (432 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population14,914
On October 22, the normal high in Alexandria is 51°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Alexandria.
- Jan 19° 2°
- Feb 24° 6°
- Mar 37° 19°
- Apr 52° 33°
- May 66° 46°
- Jun 76° 56°
- Jul 80° 61°
- Aug 78° 59°
- Sep 70° 50°
- Oct 55° 37°
- Nov 38° 23°
- Dec 24° 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 Alexandria each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.00 in), the least in December (0.36 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 2°F | 10.7°F | 0.38 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 24°F | 6°F | 14.9°F | 0.41 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 19°F | 28.0°F | 1.00 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 33°F | 42.5°F | 2.04 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 46°F | 55.9°F | 3.05 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 56°F | 66.0°F | 3.72 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 80°F | 61°F | 70.6°F | 4.00 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 59°F | 68.5°F | 3.46 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 70°F | 50°F | 60.0°F | 2.63 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 37°F | 45.7°F | 2.21 | 9 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 23°F | 30.3°F | 0.83 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 24°F | 10°F | 16.9°F | 0.36 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 34°F | 42.5°F | 24.09 | 92 | 6 | 167 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −16°C | −11.8°C | 10 mm |
| February | −5°C | −14°C | −9.5°C | 10 mm |
| March | 3°C | −7°C | −2.2°C | 25 mm |
| April | 11°C | 0°C | 5.8°C | 52 mm |
| May | 19°C | 8°C | 13.3°C | 77 mm |
| June | 24°C | 14°C | 18.9°C | 94 mm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.4°C | 102 mm |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.3°C | 88 mm |
| September | 21°C | 10°C | 15.6°C | 67 mm |
| October | 13°C | 3°C | 7.6°C | 56 mm |
| November | 3°C | −5°C | −0.9°C | 21 mm |
| December | −4°C | −12°C | −8.4°C | 9 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Glenwood (15 miles away), gets 46 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014910; 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 Alexandria?
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 USW00014910.
When is the last frost in Alexandria?
In Alexandria, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 27 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 21 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 18
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 20
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 159 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 178 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 21 in half of springs and before October 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Alexandria in zone 4b in ZIP code 56308. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Alexandria's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (24 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 USW00014910; 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 Alexandria?
In a normal year in Alexandria, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 167 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 92 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 167a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 93high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 92a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1940) is 104°F, on August 7, 1983; the lowest is −38°F, on January 29, 1951.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1986, with 40.03 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 77.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014910; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014910. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Alexandria, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 58°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 60°F; the driest air comes in January (8°F). March is the windiest month (11.3 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (75%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°F | 81% | 72% | 10.0 mph | – | – |
| February | 13°F | 77% | 67% | 10.5 mph | 56% | 35% |
| March | 26°F | 68% | 52% | 11.3 mph | 58% | 30% |
| April | 35°F | 57% | 41% | 11.3 mph | 60% | 27% |
| May | 49°F | 63% | 47% | 9.9 mph | 60% | 23% |
| June | 58°F | 69% | 52% | 9.5 mph | 70% | 15% |
| July | 60°F | 71% | 52% | 8.4 mph | 73% | 11% |
| August | 57°F | 72% | 53% | 9.6 mph | 75% | 14% |
| September | 42°F | 68% | 49% | 10.4 mph | 68% | 22% |
| October | 30°F | 73% | 58% | 11.0 mph | 55% | 36% |
| November | 17°F | 79% | 70% | 10.8 mph | 53% | 40% |
| December | 8°F | 80% | 74% | 10.2 mph | 52% | 40% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014910. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Alexandria?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Alexandria, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.8 |
| February | 81% | 3.0 |
| March | 72% | 3.8 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.5 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 82% | 6.5 |
| August | 80% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.1 |
| October | 69% | 2.6 |
| November | 67% | 1.7 |
| December | 61% | 1.2 |
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 Alexandria need?
A normal year in Alexandria brings 8,653 heating degree days, 61% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 495 cooling degree days, 45% 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 2,347 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,685 | 0 |
| February | 1,404 | 0 |
| March | 1,147 | 0 |
| April | 674 | 1 |
| May | 306 | 24 |
| June | 68 | 99 |
| July | 16 | 188 |
| August | 30 | 138 |
| September | 193 | 43 |
| October | 599 | 3 |
| November | 1,041 | 0 |
| December | 1,491 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,653 | 495 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014910. 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 Alexandria been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 46.5°F, 4.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.5°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.4°F | +2.9°F | – |
| 2022 | 41.1°F | −1.4°F | – |
| 2023 | 44.9°F | +2.4°F | 19.97 |
| 2024 | 46.5°F | +4.0°F | 30.46 |
Over 76 complete years from 1941 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.1°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014910; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Alexandria's climate compare?
Alexandria is warmer than 56 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 6. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.5°F is warmer than 11%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Alexandria is Dwb: continental, dry-winter, 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 Alexandria share this climate record?
10 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.
- Osakis, MN1,747 people · 12 mi E
- Evansville, MN587 people · 17 mi NW
- Brandon, MN500 people · 12 mi NW
- Carlos, MN486 people · 9 mi NE
- Miltona, MN442 people · 13 mi N
- Garfield, MN337 people · 7 mi NW
- Forada, MN187 people · 6 mi S
- Nelson, MN183 people · 6 mi E
- Millerville, MN99 people · 16 mi NW
- Urbank, MN48 people · 19 mi N
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 Alexandria's climate
What is the coldest month in Alexandria?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Alexandria?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Alexandria's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Glenwood (15 miles away), records 46 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Alexandria?
July, with 4.00 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.36 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Alexandria in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Alexandria in zone 4b in ZIP code 56308. By the same method at Alexandria's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Alexandria?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Alexandria in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Glenwood, MN15 miles from this station, 43.3°F a year
- Long Prairie, MN25 miles from this station, 40.1°F a year
- Morris, MN30 miles from this station, 42.2°F a year
- Melrose, MN32 miles from this station, 42.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made