Grand Rapids, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Grand Rapids's normal year runs from −1°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 29.4 inches of precipitation and 60 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.5°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 27°C, 746 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrand Rpds Forest Laboratory
- Station IDUSC00213303
- Location47.24°N 93.50°W
- Elevation1,310 ft (399 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population11,244
On October 14, the normal high in Grand Rapids is 54°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 37%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Rapids.
- Jan 19° -1°
- Feb 26° 2°
- Mar 39° 15°
- Apr 53° 28°
- May 66° 40°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 80° 55°
- Aug 78° 53°
- Sep 68° 45°
- Oct 53° 33°
- Nov 36° 20°
- Dec 23° 7°
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 Grand Rapids each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −1°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.70 in), the least in February (0.85 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | −1°F | 8.7°F | 0.97 | 12.2 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 26°F | 2°F | 13.9°F | 0.85 | 9.7 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 15°F | 27.1°F | 1.33 | 7.5 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 28°F | 40.3°F | 2.10 | 5.6 | 10 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 40°F | 53.2°F | 3.23 | 0.2 | 13 | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 51°F | 62.9°F | 4.70 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 80°F | 55°F | 67.6°F | 4.14 | 0.0 | 12 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 78°F | 53°F | 65.5°F | 3.40 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 68°F | 45°F | 56.4°F | 3.05 | 0.0 | 11 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 33°F | 43.1°F | 2.79 | 2.0 | 11 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 20°F | 28.1°F | 1.59 | 9.0 | 11 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 23°F | 7°F | 14.8°F | 1.23 | 13.4 | 12 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 29°F | 40.1°F | 29.38 | 59.6 | 132 | 6 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −19°C | −12.9°C | 25 mm | 31 cm |
| February | −4°C | −17°C | −10.1°C | 22 mm | 25 cm |
| March | 4°C | −9°C | −2.7°C | 34 mm | 19 cm |
| April | 11°C | −2°C | 4.6°C | 53 mm | 14 cm |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 11.8°C | 82 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 24°C | 10°C | 17.2°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 20°C | 7°C | 13.6°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.2°C | 71 mm | 5 cm |
| November | 2°C | −7°C | −2.2°C | 40 mm | 23 cm |
| December | −5°C | −14°C | −9.6°C | 31 mm | 34 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00213303; 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 Grand Rapids?
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 (10).
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 USC00213303.
When is the last frost in Grand Rapids?
In Grand Rapids, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 17 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 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 171 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 10; 9 in 10 before October 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 130 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 152 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 6 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grand Rapids in zone 4a in ZIP code 55744, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Grand Rapids's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −29°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00213303; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Grand Rapids?
In a normal year in Grand Rapids, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 132 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
- 187a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 92high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 132a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 19a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1915) is 104°F, on July 13, 1936; the lowest is −51°F, on January 26, 1927.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 38.00 in; the snowiest season is 1970–71, with 99.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00213303; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00213303. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Grand Rapids?
Over a year 71% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Grand Rapids, 3.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (57%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66% | 1.4 |
| February | 74% | 2.5 |
| March | 73% | 3.7 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 67% | 5.3 |
| June | 70% | 5.8 |
| July | 78% | 6.1 |
| August | 76% | 5.1 |
| September | 71% | 3.7 |
| October | 63% | 2.3 |
| November | 59% | 1.4 |
| December | 57% | 1.0 |
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 Grand Rapids need?
A normal year in Grand Rapids brings 9,319 heating degree days, 73% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 288 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 1,866 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,745 | 0 |
| February | 1,431 | 0 |
| March | 1,175 | 0 |
| April | 741 | 0 |
| May | 380 | 12 |
| June | 118 | 54 |
| July | 41 | 120 |
| August | 68 | 83 |
| September | 277 | 19 |
| October | 681 | 0 |
| November | 1,107 | 0 |
| December | 1,556 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,319 | 288 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00213303. 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 Grand Rapids been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 42.1°F, 2.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.1°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.6°F | +3.5°F | 25.24 | 52.7 |
| 2022 | 38.5°F | −1.6°F | 33.40 | 76.1 |
| 2024 | 44.8°F | +4.7°F | 24.36 | 34.8 |
| 2025 | 42.1°F | +2.0°F | 21.98 | – |
Over 103 complete years from 1916 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.2°F per century (+0.18°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00213303; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grand Rapids's climate compare?
Grand Rapids is warmer than 29 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 54. 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, Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids 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.
- Coleraine, MN1,995 people · 2 mi NE
- Bovey, MN813 people · 6 mi NE
- La Prairie, MN666 people · 1 mi S
- Taconite, MN642 people · 7 mi NE
- Marble, MN606 people · 11 mi NE
- Calumet, MN324 people · 12 mi NE
- Warba, MN184 people · 13 mi SE
- Goodland, MN9 people · 18 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 Grand Rapids's climate
What is the coldest month in Grand Rapids?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of −1°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Grand Rapids?
Yes: 60 inches in a normal year, falling on 51 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (13.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Grand Rapids?
June, with 4.70 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.85 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grand Rapids in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grand Rapids in zone 4a in ZIP code 55744, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Grand Rapids's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −29°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Grand Rapids?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 17; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Pokegama Dam, MN4 miles from this station, 39.6°F a year
- Marcell (5 mi NE), MN28 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Sandy Lake Dam Libby, MN32 miles from this station, 40.5°F a year
- Hibbing, MN32 miles from this station, 36.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made