Buffalo, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Buffalo's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 31.7 inches of precipitation and 40 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.6°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 27°C, 806 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBuffalo (2 mi NE)
- Station IDUSC00211107
- Location45.20°N 93.84°W
- Elevation992 ft (302 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population16,736
On October 22, the normal high in Buffalo is 54°F and the normal low 35°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 Buffalo.
- Jan 21° 3°
- Feb 27° 7°
- Mar 39° 21°
- Apr 54° 35°
- May 67° 47°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 81° 61°
- Aug 79° 59°
- Sep 71° 51°
- Oct 57° 37°
- Nov 40° 24°
- Dec 27° 11°
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 Buffalo each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.50 in), the least in January (0.69 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 3°F | 12.0°F | 0.69 | 7.3 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 27°F | 7°F | 17.0°F | 1.02 | 8.0 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 21°F | 30.0°F | 1.43 | 6.8 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 35°F | 44.4°F | 2.57 | 2.6 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 47°F | 56.9°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 57°F | 66.8°F | 4.41 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 81°F | 61°F | 71.0°F | 4.33 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 59°F | 68.7°F | 4.50 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 51°F | 60.8°F | 3.39 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 37°F | 47.0°F | 2.51 | 0.2 | 8 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 24°F | 32.3°F | 1.52 | 5.6 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 11°F | 18.8°F | 1.14 | 9.3 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 34°F | 43.8°F | 31.74 | 39.8 | 92 | 6 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −16°C | −11.1°C | 18 mm | 19 cm |
| February | −3°C | −14°C | −8.3°C | 26 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 4°C | −6°C | −1.1°C | 36 mm | 17 cm |
| April | 12°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 65 mm | 7 cm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 13.8°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.3°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.7°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 15°C | 20.4°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 10°C | 16.0°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.3°C | 64 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.2°C | 39 mm | 14 cm |
| December | −3°C | −12°C | −7.3°C | 29 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00211107; 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 Buffalo?
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 (8).
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 USC00211107.
When is the last frost in Buffalo?
In Buffalo, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 9 in half of years and before September 25 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 15
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 91 year in 10 before September 25; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 163 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 19 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Buffalo in zone 4b in ZIP code 55313, 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 USC00211107; 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 Buffalo?
In a normal year in Buffalo, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 163 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
- 163a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 80high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 92a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1958) is 105°F, on July 31, 1988; the lowest is −38°F, on January 9, 1977.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 39.49 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 79.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00211107; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00211107. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Buffalo?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Buffalo, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 1.8 |
| February | 79% | 2.9 |
| March | 74% | 3.9 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 74% | 6.0 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 67% | 2.6 |
| November | 65% | 1.6 |
| 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 Buffalo need?
A normal year in Buffalo brings 8,211 heating degree days, 53% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 532 cooling degree days, 41% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,462 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,643 | 0 |
| February | 1,345 | 0 |
| March | 1,084 | 0 |
| April | 618 | 1 |
| May | 274 | 24 |
| June | 62 | 116 |
| July | 13 | 200 |
| August | 26 | 139 |
| September | 174 | 48 |
| October | 562 | 4 |
| November | 980 | 0 |
| December | 1,432 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,211 | 532 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00211107. 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.
How does Buffalo's climate compare?
Buffalo is warmer than 72 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 81. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 43.8°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Buffalo 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 Buffalo 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.
- St. Michael, MN21,681 people · 7 mi E
- Monticello, MN15,482 people · 7 mi N
- Hanover, MN4,229 people · 9 mi E
- Maple Lake, MN2,214 people · 9 mi W
- Silver Creek, MN156 people · 11 mi NW
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 Buffalo's climate
What is the coldest month in Buffalo?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Buffalo?
Yes: 40 inches in a normal year, falling on 26 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (9.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Buffalo?
August, with 4.50 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.69 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Buffalo in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Buffalo in zone 4b in ZIP code 55313, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Buffalo?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Delano, MN11 miles from this station, 44.5°F a year
- Elk River, MN14 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Dassel, MN24 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Santiago (3 mi E), MN24 miles from this station, 43.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made