Brainerd, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Brainerd's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 24.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.7°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 28°C, 623 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBrainerd Crow Wing County Airport
- Station IDUSW00094938
- Location46.40°N 94.13°W
- Elevation1,221 ft (372 m)
- Population14,400
On October 22, the normal high in Brainerd is 53°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Brainerd.
- Jan 21° 0°
- Feb 27° 4°
- Mar 40° 18°
- Apr 55° 31°
- May 68° 43°
- Jun 77° 53°
- Jul 82° 58°
- Aug 79° 55°
- Sep 71° 47°
- Oct 56° 35°
- Nov 40° 22°
- Dec 26° 8°
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 Brainerd each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.35 in), the least in February (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 | 21°F | 0°F | 10.6°F | 0.47 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 27°F | 4°F | 15.5°F | 0.36 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 18°F | 28.6°F | 0.97 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 31°F | 42.5°F | 1.60 | 9 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 55.3°F | 3.27 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 15 h |
| June | 77°F | 53°F | 65.2°F | 4.03 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 82°F | 58°F | 69.6°F | 4.35 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 79°F | 55°F | 67.3°F | 3.06 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 47°F | 58.7°F | 2.60 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 35°F | 45.4°F | 2.37 | 10 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 22°F | 30.6°F | 0.90 | 6 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 26°F | 8°F | 16.8°F | 0.55 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 31°F | 42.2°F | 24.53 | 100 | 6 | 173 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −18°C | −11.9°C | 12 mm |
| February | −3°C | −15°C | −9.2°C | 9 mm |
| March | 4°C | −8°C | −1.9°C | 25 mm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 5.8°C | 41 mm |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 12.9°C | 83 mm |
| June | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 102 mm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 20.9°C | 110 mm |
| August | 26°C | 13°C | 19.6°C | 78 mm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 66 mm |
| October | 13°C | 2°C | 7.4°C | 60 mm |
| November | 4°C | −6°C | −0.8°C | 23 mm |
| December | −3°C | −14°C | −8.4°C | 14 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Brainerd's own co-op station Brainerd station does: 48 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094938; 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 Brainerd?
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 (11).
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 USW00094938.
When is the last frost in Brainerd?
In Brainerd, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 27 in half of years and before September 14 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 131 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 271 year in 10 before September 14; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 158 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Brainerd in zone 4a in ZIP code 56425, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Brainerd's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°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 USW00094938; 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 Brainerd?
In a normal year in Brainerd, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 173 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 100 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
- 173a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 87high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 100a normal year
The highest temperature in Brainerd's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1898) is 106°F, on July 10, 1936; the lowest is −54°F, on February 2, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1986, with 37.45 in; the snowiest season is 1950–51, with 105.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094938; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record BRDthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Brainerd, 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 59°F; the driest air comes in December (7°F). March is the windiest month (8.1 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (69%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°F | 73% | 62% | 7.2 mph | 55% | 35% |
| February | 11°F | 69% | 56% | 7.4 mph | 57% | 34% |
| March | 24°F | 62% | 45% | 8.1 mph | 55% | 33% |
| April | 33°F | 55% | 37% | 8.1 mph | 58% | 27% |
| May | 48°F | 63% | 45% | 7.0 mph | 58% | 22% |
| June | 58°F | 68% | 51% | 7.0 mph | 64% | 17% |
| July | 59°F | 71% | 51% | 6.0 mph | 68% | 12% |
| August | 56°F | 73% | 52% | 6.8 mph | 69% | 15% |
| September | 43°F | 70% | 51% | 7.6 mph | 63% | 25% |
| October | 29°F | 69% | 54% | 7.7 mph | 51% | 40% |
| November | 16°F | 75% | 64% | 7.5 mph | – | – |
| December | 7°F | 76% | 67% | 7.0 mph | 54% | 39% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00094938. 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 Brainerd?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Brainerd, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (59%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 1.6 |
| February | 78% | 2.8 |
| March | 74% | 3.8 |
| April | 72% | 4.9 |
| May | 69% | 5.5 |
| June | 73% | 6.0 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.3 |
| September | 73% | 3.9 |
| October | 66% | 2.5 |
| November | 64% | 1.6 |
| December | 59% | 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 Brainerd need?
A normal year in Brainerd brings 8,696 heating degree days, 62% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 413 cooling degree days, 54% 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 2,187 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,685 | 0 |
| February | 1,387 | 0 |
| March | 1,127 | 0 |
| April | 676 | 1 |
| May | 320 | 19 |
| June | 78 | 82 |
| July | 22 | 165 |
| August | 41 | 111 |
| September | 223 | 34 |
| October | 609 | 2 |
| November | 1,034 | 0 |
| December | 1,494 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,696 | 413 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094938. 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 Brainerd been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 43.1°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 42.2°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44.9°F | +2.7°F | 21.86 |
| 2022 | 41.2°F | −1.0°F | 22.79 |
| 2023 | 44.5°F | +2.3°F | 23.07 |
| 2024 | 46.6°F | +4.4°F | 27.03 |
| 2025 | 43.1°F | +0.9°F | 23.39 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094938. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Brainerd's climate compare?
Brainerd is warmer than 52 of the other 128 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 42.2°F is warmer than 10%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Brainerd 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 Brainerd 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.
- Crosby, MN2,328 people · 11 mi NE
- Ironton, MN564 people · 8 mi NE
- Merrifield, MN131 people · 5 mi NW
- Riverton, MN115 people · 5 mi NE
- Trommald, MN113 people · 9 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Brainerd's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Brainerd. This page uses Brainerd Crow Wing County Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd station USC00210939 | 6 mi SW | 1,180 ft | 41.1°F | −2°F | 80°F | 30.6 | 48 | May 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Brainerd's climate
What is the coldest month in Brainerd?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Brainerd?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Brainerd's NOAA station; Brainerd's own co-op station Brainerd station records 48 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Brainerd?
July, with 4.35 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.36 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Brainerd in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Brainerd in zone 4a in ZIP code 56425, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Brainerd's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Brainerd?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Brainerd in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Gull Lake Dam, MN11 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Pine River Dam, MN18 miles from this station, 41.4°F a year
- Aitkin, MN24 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Little Falls, MN30 miles from this station, 44.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made