Minneapolis Crystal Airport, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Minneapolis Crystal Airport's normal year runs from 7°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 30.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.7°C, January lows of −14°C, July highs of 29°C, 780 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMinneapolis Crystal Airport
- Station IDUSW00094960
- Location45.06°N 93.35°W
- Elevation861 ft (262 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Minneapolis Crystal Airport is 55°F and the normal low 35°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Minneapolis Crystal Airport.
- Jan 24° 7°
- Feb 29° 11°
- Mar 42° 23°
- Apr 57° 35°
- May 70° 47°
- Jun 79° 58°
- Jul 83° 63°
- Aug 81° 61°
- Sep 73° 52°
- Oct 58° 38°
- Nov 42° 26°
- Dec 29° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Minneapolis Crystal Airport each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 7°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.37 in), the least in January (0.61 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 7°F | 15.5°F | 0.61 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 29°F | 11°F | 19.9°F | 0.62 | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 42°F | 23°F | 32.5°F | 1.42 | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 35°F | 45.9°F | 2.88 | – | <1 | 11 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 70°F | 47°F | 58.3°F | 4.34 | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 79°F | 58°F | 68.5°F | 4.37 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 83°F | 63°F | 72.9°F | 4.19 | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 81°F | 61°F | 70.8°F | 4.14 | – | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 52°F | 62.3°F | 3.16 | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 38°F | 48.3°F | 2.61 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 26°F | 33.8°F | 1.47 | – | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 29°F | 13°F | 21.1°F | 0.90 | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 56°F | 36°F | 45.8°F | 30.71 | – | 12 | 155 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −14°C | −9.2°C | 15 mm |
| February | −2°C | −12°C | −6.7°C | 16 mm |
| March | 5°C | −5°C | 0.3°C | 36 mm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 7.7°C | 73 mm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.6°C | 110 mm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 111 mm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 22.7°C | 106 mm |
| August | 27°C | 16°C | 21.6°C | 105 mm |
| September | 23°C | 11°C | 16.8°C | 80 mm |
| October | 15°C | 3°C | 9.1°C | 66 mm |
| November | 6°C | −4°C | 1.0°C | 37 mm |
| December | −2°C | −10°C | −6.1°C | 23 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, New Hope (4 miles away), gets 54 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094960; 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.
Which months are mildest at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
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 USW00094960.
When is the last frost at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
In Minneapolis Crystal Airport, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 26 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 159 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 18 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Minneapolis Crystal Airport in zone 5a in ZIP code 55429, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 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 USW00094960; 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 at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
In a normal year in Minneapolis Crystal Airport, 12 days a year reach 90°F and 155 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 155a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 73high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1997) is 102°F, on June 7, 2011; the lowest is −29°F, on January 30, 2019.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2002, with 40.52 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00094960; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00094960. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Minneapolis Crystal Airport, 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Minneapolis Crystal Airport record?
A normal year at Minneapolis Crystal Airport brings 7,654 heating degree days, 42% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 703 cooling degree days, 23% 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 2,755 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,533 | 0 |
| February | 1,264 | 0 |
| March | 1,008 | 0 |
| April | 576 | 3 |
| May | 243 | 36 |
| June | 42 | 145 |
| July | 6 | 251 |
| August | 12 | 192 |
| September | 149 | 69 |
| October | 524 | 7 |
| November | 936 | 0 |
| December | 1,361 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,654 | 703 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00094960. 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.
Have recent years at Minneapolis Crystal Airport been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 49.8°F, 4.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.8°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48.0°F | +2.2°F | – |
| 2022 | 44.9°F | −0.9°F | – |
| 2023 | 48.6°F | +2.8°F | 27.23 |
| 2024 | 49.8°F | +4.0°F | 33.09 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00094960. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Minneapolis Crystal Airport's climate compare?
Minneapolis Crystal Airport is warmer than 117 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 67. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.8°F is warmer than 23%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Minneapolis Crystal Airport 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 Minneapolis Crystal Airport 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.
- Brooklyn Park, MNalso near: New Hope (7 mi, 45.7°F a year); Andover (10 mi, 43.6°F a year)82,893 people · 3 mi N
- Maple Grove, MNalso near: New Hope (8 mi, 45.7°F a year); Andover (13 mi, 43.6°F a year)72,739 people · 7 mi NW
- Brooklyn Center, MN31,755 people · 2 mi E
- Fridley, MN30,679 people · 5 mi E
- Crystal, MN22,082 people · 2 mi S
- Spring Lake Park, MN7,083 people · 6 mi NE
- Osseo, MN2,526 people · 5 mi NW
- Hilltop, MN956 people · 5 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 Minneapolis Crystal Airport's climate
What is the coldest month at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 7°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, New Hope (4 miles away), records 54 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
June, with 4.37 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.61 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Minneapolis Crystal Airport in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Minneapolis Crystal Airport in zone 5a in ZIP code 55429, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at Minneapolis Crystal Airport?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- New Hope, MN4 miles from this station, 45.7°F a year
- Lower St Anthony Falls, MN7 miles from this station, 45.8°F a year
- University of Minnesota St Paul, MN10 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- Vadnais Lake, MN12 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made