Fergus Falls, MN Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Fergus Falls's primary NOAA station, FERGUS FALLS.
The climate verdict for Fergus Falls
Winter sets the terms in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. A pronounced 61.8°F seasonal swing and heating demand above twice the cooling total frame an annual average of 42°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 42°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 26.9"
- precipitation, annual total
- 154 days
- frost-free growing season
Fergus Falls: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00212768 · Fergus Falls, MN 42°F mean · 26.9" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 42°F
- RANK-COOL #617
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Tioga
- PRCP-MID 26.9"
- SWING-WIDE 62°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 8,882 HDD
- STN-1 USC00212768
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Tioga, ND (+ 0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every MN station list.
- Fergus Falls (this station) 42°F
- Cold Eureka, SD 42°F
- Hot Breckenridge, MN 42°F
- Near Tioga, ND 42°F
- Near Georgetown, MN 42°F
Fergus Falls sits in Minnesota, the #3 coldest U.S. state at 42.2°F statewide annual average - see all 50 coldest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Fergus Falls
Fergus Falls: 30/100 · grade F
Fergus Falls publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Fergus Falls, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 26.9 in · 8.1 from 35 in | 71/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 154 days/year | 28/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 177 calendar days | 27/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 41.9°F · 25.6° from 67.5°F | 9/100 · F |
Fergus Falls · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Fergus Falls is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 9.0°F and warmest-month mean 70.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, warm summer climates (Dfb). Class Dfb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 70.8°F
- Coldest month
- 9.0°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Fergus Falls sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Fergus Falls's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 91%
- Among 6,861 stations, Fergus Falls sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 37th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 99%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Fergus Falls is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Fergus Falls compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Fergus Falls's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F (-8°C) | 0°F (-18°C) | 9°F (-13°C) | 1.3" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 22°F (-5°C) | 3°F (-16°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 0.8" | 27.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 36°F (2°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 1.1" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 53°F (12°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 2.0" | 15.8 | 0.1 |
| May | 67°F (19°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.9" | 2.0 | 0.5 |
| June | 76°F (25°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 4.3" | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| July | 81°F (27°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 3.3" | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| August | 79°F (26°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 3.0" | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| September | 71°F (22°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 3.0" | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 2.4" | 12.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 38°F (3°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 1.0" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 24°F (-4°C) | 8°F (-13°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 0.7" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 81°F around July 23, short of 90°F on every date, while 177 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest -2°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 16, then returns to freezing around October 23, covering 177 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is June 23, when 32% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is February 10 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 68 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 17 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Fergus Falls.
Where Fergus Falls Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Fergus Falls earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
4.1 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
8.1 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
6.1 days with precipitation
6.2 days with precipitation
5.5 days with precipitation
4.5 days with precipitation
4.4 days with precipitation
Fergus Falls runs a summer-peaked wet season
39% of Fergus Falls's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 4.3", on a wide 61.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, July, taking 43% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: December at 0.7".
- Winter share: 11% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
When it rains in Fergus Falls, it arrives in quantity
26.9" of precipitation falls across only about 68 wet days here, averaging 0.39 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 68 a year, 19% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- June, about 10
- Fewest wet days
- February, about 3
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 5
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 4
50% probability date
Growing Season
154 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
8,882
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
521
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MN closest to Fergus Falls on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (42°F here).
- Chelsea, VT 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Haines, AK 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Lancaster, NH 42°F · 0.0°F off
- Big Bay, MI 42°F · 0.1°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (26.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Centerville, SD 26.9" · 0.0" off
- Cheyenne, OK 26.8" · 0.0" off
- Taylor, NE 26.8" · 0.0" off
- Charlotte, TX 26.8" · 0.1" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Fergus Falls's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · high swing
Winter and seasonal range jointly define this record. Fergus Falls logs 8,882 heating degree days, more than twice its 521 cooling total, while the typical coldest-to-warmest-month gap reaches 61.8°F. The annual mean therefore compresses two materially different seasons.
Fergus Falls's frost-free season lasts about 154 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Fergus Falls's calendar has a pronounced split: July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar, with 61.8°F between them. The annual average is 42°F. That average is context, while the monthly highs, lows, and precipitation totals describe the lived parts of the year.
Fergus Falls's 26.9 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Fergus Falls's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Fergus Falls, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Fergus Falls's climate
How much rain does Fergus Falls get? ▼
How cold does Fergus Falls get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Fergus Falls? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Fergus Falls's primary station: FERGUS FALLS (USC00212768). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 2720906). Match rule for Fergus Falls: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Fergus Falls comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.