Elk River, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Elk River's normal year runs from 4°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 32.9 inches of precipitation and 36 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 29°C, 835 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationElk River
- Station IDUSC00212500
- Location45.30°N 93.58°W
- Elevation880 ft (268 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population27,606
On October 14, the normal high in Elk River is 59°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Elk River.
- Jan 23° 4°
- Feb 28° 7°
- Mar 41° 18°
- Apr 56° 32°
- May 69° 45°
- Jun 79° 56°
- Jul 83° 61°
- Aug 81° 58°
- Sep 73° 49°
- Oct 58° 36°
- Nov 41° 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 Elk River each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 4°F. The most precipitation falls in July (4.49 in), the least in January (0.80 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 4°F | 13.0°F | 0.80 | 8.2 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 7°F | 17.5°F | 0.83 | 7.3 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 18°F | 29.4°F | 1.67 | 6.3 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 32°F | 44.0°F | 3.04 | 2.4 | 8 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 56.8°F | 4.20 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 79°F | 56°F | 67.4°F | 4.45 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 83°F | 61°F | 72.1°F | 4.49 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 81°F | 58°F | 69.1°F | 4.03 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 49°F | 60.8°F | 3.61 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 36°F | 47.0°F | 2.96 | 0.2 | 8 | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 24°F | 32.2°F | 1.71 | 5.3 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 11°F | 19.0°F | 1.10 | 6.0 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 33°F | 44.0°F | 32.89 | 35.7 | 89 | 11 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −16°C | −10.6°C | 20 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −8.1°C | 21 mm | 19 cm |
| March | 5°C | −8°C | −1.4°C | 42 mm | 16 cm |
| April | 13°C | 0°C | 6.7°C | 77 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 13.8°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.7°C | 113 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 114 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 16.0°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 8.3°C | 75 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 5°C | −5°C | 0.1°C | 43 mm | 13 cm |
| December | −3°C | −12°C | −7.2°C | 28 mm | 15 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212500; 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 Elk River?
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 (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 USC00212500.
When is the last frost in Elk River?
In Elk River, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 18 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 23 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 41 year in 10 after May 18; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elk River in zone 4b in ZIP code 55330.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00212500; 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 Elk River?
In a normal year in Elk River, 11 days a year reach 90°F, 163 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 89 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a 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
- 82high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 89a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00212500.
How sunny is Elk River?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Elk River, 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 Elk River need?
A normal year in Elk River brings 8,174 heating degree days, 52% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 569 cooling degree days, 37% 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 2,508 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,612 | 0 |
| February | 1,330 | 0 |
| March | 1,104 | 0 |
| April | 629 | 1 |
| May | 280 | 24 |
| June | 47 | 119 |
| July | 6 | 228 |
| August | 21 | 150 |
| September | 173 | 46 |
| October | 563 | 3 |
| November | 984 | 0 |
| December | 1,426 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,174 | 569 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212500. 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 Elk River been warmer than normal lately?
2021 averaged 46.6°F, 2.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.0°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.6°F | +2.6°F | 22.92 | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00212500. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Elk River's climate compare?
Elk River is warmer than 77 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 90. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.0°F is warmer than 15%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Elk River is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 Elk River share this climate record?
8 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.
- Ramsey, MN28,999 people · 7 mi SE
- Otsego, MN23,875 people · 3 mi SW
- Rogers, MN14,493 people · 8 mi S
- Big Lake, MN12,855 people · 8 mi W
- Dayton, MN10,744 people · 10 mi SE
- Albertville, MN8,555 people · 6 mi SW
- Zimmerman, MN6,772 people · 9 mi N
- Nowthen, MN4,565 people · 7 mi E
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 Elk River's climate
What is the coldest month in Elk River?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 4°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Elk River?
Yes: 36 inches in a normal year, falling on 21 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (8.2 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Elk River?
July, with 4.49 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.80 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Elk River in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Elk River in zone 4b in ZIP code 55330.
How late can frost come in Elk River?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 18. Waiting until May 18 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Buffalo, MN14 miles from this station, 43.8°F a year
- Andover, MN15 miles from this station, 43.6°F a year
- Cedar, MN15 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Santiago (3 mi E), MN19 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