Big Falls, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Big Falls's normal year runs from −5°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 27.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.1°C, January lows of −20°C, July highs of 25°C, 693 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBig Falls
- Station IDUSC00210746
- Location48.20°N 93.80°W
- Elevation1,220 ft (372 m)
- Population171
On October 22, the normal high in Big Falls is 47°F and the normal low 30°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Falls.
- Jan 15° -5°
- Feb 22° -1°
- Mar 36° 13°
- Apr 50° 27°
- May 64° 39°
- Jun 72° 50°
- Jul 77° 54°
- Aug 75° 52°
- Sep 65° 44°
- Oct 50° 32°
- Nov 33° 17°
- Dec 19° 2°
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 Big Falls each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.40 in), the least in February (0.68 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°F | −5°F | 4.9°F | 0.86 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 22°F | −1°F | 10.5°F | 0.68 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 36°F | 13°F | 24.2°F | 1.16 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 27°F | 38.5°F | 1.70 | – | <1 | 22 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 64°F | 39°F | 51.5°F | 3.09 | – | <1 | 8 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 72°F | 50°F | 60.7°F | 4.40 | – | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 77°F | 54°F | 65.0°F | 4.09 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 75°F | 52°F | 63.2°F | 3.36 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 65°F | 44°F | 54.5°F | 3.16 | – | <1 | 4 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 50°F | 32°F | 41.3°F | 2.44 | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 33°F | 17°F | 25.3°F | 1.33 | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 19°F | 2°F | 10.9°F | 1.02 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 48°F | 27°F | 37.5°F | 27.29 | – | 3 | 196 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −10°C | −20°C | −15.1°C | 22 mm |
| February | −5°C | −18°C | −11.9°C | 17 mm |
| March | 2°C | −11°C | −4.3°C | 29 mm |
| April | 10°C | −3°C | 3.6°C | 43 mm |
| May | 18°C | 4°C | 10.8°C | 78 mm |
| June | 22°C | 10°C | 15.9°C | 112 mm |
| July | 25°C | 12°C | 18.3°C | 104 mm |
| August | 24°C | 11°C | 17.3°C | 85 mm |
| September | 19°C | 6°C | 12.5°C | 80 mm |
| October | 10°C | 0°C | 5.2°C | 62 mm |
| November | 1°C | −8°C | −3.7°C | 34 mm |
| December | −7°C | −16°C | −11.7°C | 26 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Littlefork (10 mi SW) (12 miles away), gets 55 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210746; 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 Big Falls?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
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 USC00210746.
When is the last frost in Big Falls?
In Big Falls, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 24 in half of years and after June 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 20 in half of years and before September 6 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 241 year in 10 after June 6; 9 in 10 after May 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 201 year in 10 before September 6; 9 in 10 before October 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 117 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 142 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before October 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Falls in zone 3b in ZIP code 56658, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00210746; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Big Falls?
In a normal year in Big Falls, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 196 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 196a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 98high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1930) is 106°F, on July 12, 1936; the lowest is −53°F, on February 8, 1933.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1944, with 35.87 in; the snowiest season is 1955–56, with 98.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00210746; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00210746. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Big Falls?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Big Falls, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (77%) and November the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.3 |
| February | 75% | 2.5 |
| March | 74% | 3.7 |
| April | 71% | 4.8 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 70% | 5.7 |
| July | 77% | 6.0 |
| August | 76% | 5.0 |
| September | 71% | 3.6 |
| October | 60% | 2.1 |
| November | 56% | 1.2 |
| December | 56% | 0.9 |
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 Big Falls need?
A normal year in Big Falls brings 10,140 heating degree days, 89% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 176 cooling degree days, 81% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,579 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,861 | 0 |
| February | 1,527 | 0 |
| March | 1,265 | 0 |
| April | 794 | 0 |
| May | 427 | 8 |
| June | 159 | 31 |
| July | 72 | 72 |
| August | 107 | 53 |
| September | 326 | 11 |
| October | 734 | 0 |
| November | 1,190 | 0 |
| December | 1,679 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,140 | 176 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00210746. 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 Big Falls been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 38.5°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 37.5°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42.3°F | +4.8°F | – |
| 2025 | 38.5°F | +1.0°F | – |
Over 35 complete years from 1931 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted -0.1°F per century (−0.00°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00210746; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Big Falls's climate compare?
Big Falls is warmer than 7 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 29. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 37.5°F is warmer than 3%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Big Falls 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.
Questions about Big Falls's climate
What is the coldest month in Big Falls?
January, with a normal high of 15°F and a normal low of −5°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Big Falls?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Big Falls's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Littlefork (10 mi SW) (12 miles away), records 55 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Big Falls?
June, with 4.40 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.68 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Falls in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Falls in zone 3b in ZIP code 56658, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Big Falls?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 24; in one year in ten it comes after June 6. Waiting until June 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Littlefork (10 mi SW), MN12 miles from this station, 37.8°F a year
- Waskish (4 mi NE), MN29 miles from this station, 38.3°F a year
- International Falls, MN31 miles from this station, 37.4°F a year
- Northome, MN33 miles from this station, 38.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made