Detroit Lakes, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Detroit Lakes's normal year runs from −4°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 29.4 inches of precipitation and 48 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.5°C, January lows of −20°C, July highs of 26°C, 748 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDetroit Lakes (1 mi NNE)
- Station IDUSC00212142
- Location46.84°N 95.84°W
- Elevation1,355 ft (413 m)
- Population10,033
On October 22, the normal high in Detroit Lakes is 50°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Detroit Lakes.
- Jan 17° -4°
- Feb 23° 0°
- Mar 36° 15°
- Apr 52° 29°
- May 66° 42°
- Jun 76° 53°
- Jul 79° 58°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 70° 46°
- Oct 53° 34°
- Nov 37° 19°
- Dec 22° 6°
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 Detroit Lakes each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −4°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.90 in), the least in February (0.66 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°F | −4°F | 6.8°F | 0.82 | 8.3 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 23°F | 0°F | 11.5°F | 0.66 | 9.4 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 36°F | 15°F | 25.4°F | 0.96 | 7.7 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 29°F | 40.6°F | 2.03 | 5.3 | 8 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 42°F | 54.4°F | 3.73 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 4 | 15 h |
| June | 76°F | 53°F | 64.3°F | 4.90 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 79°F | 58°F | 68.3°F | 4.35 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.5°F | 3.26 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 70°F | 46°F | 57.9°F | 3.55 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 34°F | 43.3°F | 2.84 | 1.1 | 10 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 37°F | 19°F | 27.9°F | 1.37 | 4.8 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 22°F | 6°F | 14.0°F | 0.98 | 11.0 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 30°F | 40.1°F | 29.45 | 47.6 | 110 | 7 | 177 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −8°C | −20°C | −14.0°C | 21 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −5°C | −18°C | −11.4°C | 17 mm | 24 cm |
| March | 2°C | −9°C | −3.7°C | 24 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 11°C | −2°C | 4.8°C | 52 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.4°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 17.9°C | 124 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 8°C | 14.4°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 72 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 3°C | −7°C | −2.3°C | 35 mm | 12 cm |
| December | −5°C | −15°C | −10.0°C | 25 mm | 28 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212142; 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 Detroit Lakes?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August 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 USC00212142.
When is the last frost in Detroit Lakes?
In Detroit Lakes, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 15 in half of years and after May 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 in half of years and before September 9 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 151 year in 10 after May 30; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 9; 9 in 10 before October 6
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 130 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 150 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 5 in half of springs and before October 3 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Detroit Lakes in zone 4a in ZIP code 56501, 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 USC00212142; 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 Detroit Lakes?
In a normal year in Detroit Lakes, 7 days a year reach 90°F, 177 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 110 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 177a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 90high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 110a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1895) is 107°F, on July 11, 1936; the lowest is −53°F, on February 9, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 36.80 in; the snowiest season is 1942–43, with 89.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00212142; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00212142. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Detroit Lakes?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Detroit Lakes, 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 Detroit Lakes need?
A normal year in Detroit Lakes brings 9,397 heating degree days, 75% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 357 cooling degree days, 61% 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 2,049 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,804 | 0 |
| February | 1,499 | 0 |
| March | 1,226 | 0 |
| April | 734 | 1 |
| May | 345 | 16 |
| June | 91 | 70 |
| July | 32 | 136 |
| August | 58 | 104 |
| September | 242 | 29 |
| October | 674 | 1 |
| November | 1,112 | 0 |
| December | 1,581 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,397 | 357 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212142. 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 Detroit Lakes been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 42.8°F, 2.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.1°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 42.8°F | +2.7°F | 25.18 | – |
Over 60 complete years from 1901 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.3°F per century (+0.24°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00212142; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Detroit Lakes's climate compare?
Detroit Lakes is warmer than 29 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 55. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.1°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Detroit Lakes 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 Detroit Lakes 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.
- Frazee, MN1,310 people · 10 mi SE
- Lake Park, MN714 people · 13 mi W
- Audubon, MN569 people · 7 mi W
- Vergas, MN357 people · 13 mi S
- Callaway, MN180 people · 11 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.
What do Detroit Lakes's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Detroit Lakes. This page uses Detroit Lakes (1 mi NNE); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lakes (12 mi E) USC00212146 | 11 mi E | 1,542 ft | 39.8°F | −2°F | 77°F | – | – | May 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Detroit Lakes's climate
What is the coldest month in Detroit Lakes?
January, with a normal high of 17°F and a normal low of −4°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Detroit Lakes?
Yes: 48 inches in a normal year, falling on 32 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (11.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Detroit Lakes?
June, with 4.90 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.66 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Detroit Lakes in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Detroit Lakes in zone 4a in ZIP code 56501, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Detroit Lakes?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 15; in one year in ten it comes after May 30. Waiting until May 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Tamarac Wildlife Re, MN12 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- New York Mills, MN30 miles from this station, 39.8°F a year
- Ottertail, MN32 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- Rothsay, MN32 miles from this station, 41.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made