Fosston, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fosston's normal year runs from −5°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 26.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.8°C, January lows of −21°C, July highs of 26°C, 674 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFosston (1 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00212916
- Location47.56°N 95.72°W
- Elevation1,300 ft (396 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population1,377
On October 22, the normal high in Fosston is 50°F and the normal low 30°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fosston.
- Jan 16° -5°
- Feb 21° -2°
- Mar 35° 13°
- Apr 51° 28°
- May 66° 41°
- Jun 74° 52°
- Jul 78° 55°
- Aug 77° 53°
- Sep 69° 45°
- Oct 53° 32°
- Nov 36° 18°
- Dec 22° 4°
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 Fosston each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.64 in), the least in January (0.52 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | −5°F | 5.4°F | 0.52 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 21°F | −2°F | 9.8°F | 0.54 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 35°F | 13°F | 23.9°F | 0.95 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 28°F | 39.6°F | 1.76 | – | <1 | 21 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 41°F | 53.3°F | 3.01 | – | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 74°F | 52°F | 63.1°F | 4.64 | – | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 78°F | 55°F | 66.8°F | 3.93 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 77°F | 53°F | 64.9°F | 3.54 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 45°F | 56.6°F | 2.97 | – | <1 | 4 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 32°F | 42.8°F | 2.25 | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 18°F | 26.9°F | 1.61 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 22°F | 4°F | 13.0°F | 0.83 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 28°F | 38.8°F | 26.55 | – | 3 | 195 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −21°C | −14.8°C | 13 mm |
| February | −6°C | −19°C | −12.3°C | 14 mm |
| March | 2°C | −11°C | −4.5°C | 24 mm |
| April | 11°C | −2°C | 4.2°C | 45 mm |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 11.8°C | 76 mm |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.3°C | 118 mm |
| July | 26°C | 13°C | 19.3°C | 100 mm |
| August | 25°C | 11°C | 18.3°C | 90 mm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.7°C | 75 mm |
| October | 12°C | 0°C | 6.0°C | 57 mm |
| November | 2°C | −8°C | −2.8°C | 41 mm |
| December | −5°C | −16°C | −10.6°C | 21 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212916; 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 Fosston?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00212916.
When is the last frost in Fosston?
In Fosston, 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 26 in half of years and before September 10 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 261 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 132 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 152 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 4 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fosston in zone 3b in ZIP code 56542, 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 USC00212916; 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 Fosston?
In a normal year in Fosston, 3 days a year reach 90°F and 195 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 195a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 104high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1909) is 110°F, on July 8, 1936; the lowest is −54°F, on February 2, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1962, with 33.18 in; the snowiest season is 1965–66, with 86.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00212916; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00212916. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Fosston?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fosston, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 1.6 |
| February | 80% | 2.8 |
| March | 75% | 3.9 |
| April | 71% | 4.8 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 72% | 5.9 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 78% | 5.2 |
| September | 72% | 3.8 |
| October | 65% | 2.4 |
| November | 62% | 1.4 |
| December | 62% | 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 Fosston need?
A normal year in Fosston brings 9,778 heating degree days, 82% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 287 cooling degree days, 68% 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 1,871 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,849 | 0 |
| February | 1,546 | 0 |
| March | 1,276 | 0 |
| April | 762 | 0 |
| May | 377 | 14 |
| June | 119 | 61 |
| July | 52 | 108 |
| August | 78 | 77 |
| September | 277 | 26 |
| October | 690 | 1 |
| November | 1,143 | 0 |
| December | 1,610 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,778 | 287 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00212916. 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 Fosston's climate compare?
Fosston is warmer than 15 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 23. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.8°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fosston 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 Fosston share this climate record?
13 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.
- Bagley, MN1,304 people · 15 mi E
- McIntosh, MN581 people · 9 mi NW
- Clearbrook, MN468 people · 17 mi NE
- Oklee, MN407 people · 20 mi N
- Erskine, MN387 people · 15 mi NW
- Gonvick, MN266 people · 16 mi NE
- Rice Lake, MN232 people · 15 mi SE
- Winger, MN172 people · 12 mi W
- Lengby, MN89 people · 5 mi SE
- Ebro, MN85 people · 10 mi SE
- Gully, MN55 people · 15 mi N
- Trail, MN38 people · 15 mi N
- Pine Bend, MN17 people · 12 mi SE
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 Fosston's climate
What is the coldest month in Fosston?
January, with a normal high of 16°F and a normal low of −5°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 55°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Fosston?
June, with 4.64 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.52 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fosston in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fosston in zone 3b in ZIP code 56542, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Fosston?
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
- Mahnomen, MN21 miles from this station, 39.9°F a year
- Red Lake Falls, MN34 miles from this station, 39.8°F a year
- Itasca University Of Minn, MN34 miles from this station, 38.7°F a year
- Red Lake, MN39 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made