International Falls, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
International Falls's normal year runs from −6°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 25.4 inches of precipitation and 73 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.0°C, January lows of −21°C, July highs of 25°C, 644 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationInternational Falls International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014918
- Location48.56°N 93.40°W
- Elevation1,183 ft (361 m)
- Population5,498
On October 14, the normal high in International Falls is 52°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 40%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for International Falls.
- Jan 16° -6°
- Feb 22° -3°
- Mar 35° 12°
- Apr 50° 26°
- May 64° 38°
- Jun 74° 48°
- Jul 78° 52°
- Aug 76° 50°
- Sep 66° 42°
- Oct 51° 31°
- Nov 34° 18°
- Dec 21° 3°
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 International Falls each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −6°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.97 in), the least in February (0.69 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | −6°F | 5.0°F | 0.79 | 15.7 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 22°F | −3°F | 9.5°F | 0.69 | 12.6 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 35°F | 12°F | 23.6°F | 1.02 | 7.9 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 26°F | 38.1°F | 1.64 | 7.0 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 64°F | 38°F | 51.1°F | 3.06 | 0.2 | 13 | <1 | 9 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 74°F | 48°F | 60.8°F | 3.78 | 0.0 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 16 h 10 min |
| July | 78°F | 52°F | 64.9°F | 3.97 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| August | 76°F | 50°F | 62.8°F | 2.82 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| September | 66°F | 42°F | 54.2°F | 3.00 | 0.1 | 12 | <1 | 5 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 51°F | 31°F | 41.1°F | 2.22 | 1.6 | 13 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 50 min |
| November | 34°F | 18°F | 26.3°F | 1.39 | 12.1 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 21°F | 3°F | 11.8°F | 0.99 | 15.8 | 11 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 26°F | 37.4°F | 25.37 | 73.0 | 133 | 2 | 200 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −21°C | −15.0°C | 20 mm | 40 cm |
| February | −6°C | −19°C | −12.5°C | 18 mm | 32 cm |
| March | 2°C | −11°C | −4.7°C | 26 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 10°C | −3°C | 3.4°C | 42 mm | 18 cm |
| May | 18°C | 3°C | 10.6°C | 78 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.0°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 25°C | 11°C | 18.3°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 10°C | 17.1°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19°C | 6°C | 12.3°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 11°C | 0°C | 5.1°C | 56 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 1°C | −8°C | −3.2°C | 35 mm | 31 cm |
| December | −6°C | −16°C | −11.2°C | 25 mm | 40 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014918; 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 International Falls?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USW00014918.
When is the last frost in International Falls?
In International Falls, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 29 in half of years and after June 16 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 13 in half of years and before August 30 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 291 year in 10 after June 16; 9 in 10 after May 13
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 131 year in 10 before August 30; 9 in 10 before September 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 109 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 133 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 14 in half of springs and before September 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts International Falls in zone 3a in ZIP code 56668, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, International Falls's NOAA station is in zone 3a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −36°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 USW00014918; 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 International Falls?
In a normal year in International Falls, 2 days a year reach 90°F, 200 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 133 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 200a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 104high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 133a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 23a normal year
The highest temperature in International Falls's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1897) is 103°F, on July 22, 1923; the lowest is −55°F, on January 6, 1909.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 32.79 in; the snowiest season is 2008–09, with 125.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014918; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record INLthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is International Falls, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 55°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 56°F; the driest air comes in January (2°F). April is the windiest month (8.5 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (62%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°F | 77% | 62% | 7.5 mph | 46% | 43% |
| February | 7°F | 69% | 53% | 7.7 mph | 50% | 39% |
| March | 21°F | 63% | 46% | 8.3 mph | 50% | 37% |
| April | 31°F | 57% | 39% | 8.5 mph | 55% | 31% |
| May | 46°F | 65% | 46% | 7.1 mph | 53% | 27% |
| June | 56°F | 73% | 55% | 7.0 mph | 54% | 26% |
| July | 56°F | 74% | 52% | 6.1 mph | 62% | 16% |
| August | 53°F | 76% | 55% | 6.7 mph | 59% | 24% |
| September | 40°F | 74% | 53% | 7.5 mph | 52% | 34% |
| October | 28°F | 76% | 61% | 8.0 mph | 37% | 53% |
| November | 14°F | 80% | 70% | 7.6 mph | 35% | 56% |
| December | 3°F | 81% | 71% | 7.3 mph | 45% | 47% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014918. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is International Falls?
Over a year 70% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around International Falls, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (77%) and November the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.3 |
| February | 75% | 2.5 |
| March | 74% | 3.7 |
| April | 71% | 4.8 |
| May | 68% | 5.3 |
| June | 70% | 5.7 |
| July | 77% | 6.0 |
| August | 76% | 5.0 |
| September | 71% | 3.6 |
| October | 60% | 2.1 |
| November | 56% | 1.2 |
| December | 56% | 0.9 |
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 International Falls need?
A normal year in International Falls brings 10,181 heating degree days, 89% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 174 cooling degree days, 81% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,543 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,861 | 0 |
| February | 1,553 | 0 |
| March | 1,284 | 0 |
| April | 807 | 0 |
| May | 437 | 8 |
| June | 160 | 35 |
| July | 75 | 70 |
| August | 115 | 49 |
| September | 336 | 12 |
| October | 740 | 1 |
| November | 1,163 | 0 |
| December | 1,651 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,181 | 174 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014918. 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 International Falls been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 38.5°F, 1.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 37.4°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.1°F | +3.7°F | 20.83 | 46.4 |
| 2024 | 42.0°F | +4.6°F | 27.96 | 60.0 |
| 2025 | 38.5°F | +1.1°F | 21.94 | 62.8 |
Over 74 complete years from 1951 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 7.1°F per century (+0.39°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014918; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does International Falls's climate compare?
International Falls is warmer than 6 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 15. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 37.4°F is warmer than 3%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, International Falls 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 International Falls share this climate record?
Ranier has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Ranier, MN540 people · 3 mi NE
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 International Falls's climate
What is the coldest month in International Falls?
January, with a normal high of 16°F and a normal low of −6°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 52°F at night).
Does it snow in International Falls?
Yes: 73 inches in a normal year, falling on 61 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (15.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in International Falls?
July, with 3.97 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.69 in.
What plant hardiness zone is International Falls in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts International Falls in zone 3a in ZIP code 56668, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at International Falls's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −36°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 3a.
How late can frost come in International Falls?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 29; in one year in ten it comes after June 16. Waiting until June 16 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- International Falls in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Kabetogama, MN19 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Littlefork (10 mi SW), MN20 miles from this station, 37.8°F a year
- Big Falls, MN31 miles from this station, 37.5°F a year
- Orr, MN46 miles from this station, 35.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made