Red Lake Falls, MN Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Red Lake Falls's primary NOAA station, RED LAKE FALLS.
The climate verdict for Red Lake Falls
Winter sets the terms in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. A pronounced 62.7°F seasonal swing and heating demand above twice the cooling total frame an annual average of 40°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 40°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 24.3"
- annual precipitation · 50" snow
- 144 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Red Lake Falls: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00216787 · Red Lake Falls, MN 40°F mean · 24.3" precip
TEMP-COLD · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COLD 40°F
- RANK-COOL #343
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Larimore
- PRCP-DRY 24.3"
- SWING-WIDE 63°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 9,524 HDD
- STN-1 USC00216787
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Larimore, 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.
- Red Lake Falls (this station) 40°F
- Cold Larimore, ND 40°F
- Hot Ada, MN 40°F
- Near Towner, ND 40°F
- Near Thief Rvr Falls, MN 40°F
Red Lake 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 · Red Lake Falls
Red Lake Falls: 24/100 · grade F
Red Lake Falls publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Red Lake Falls, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 24.3 in · 10.7 from 35 in | 62/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 183 calendar days | 23/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 144 days/year | 21/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 49.9 inches/year | 21/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 39.8°F · 27.7° from 67.5°F | 4/100 · F |
Red Lake Falls · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Red Lake Falls is a continental Köppen climate: Dfb
Coldest-month mean 6.0°F and warmest-month mean 68.7°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
- 68.7°F
- Coldest month
- 6.0°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 Red Lake Falls sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Red Lake 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 95%
- Among 6,861 stations, Red Lake Falls sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 33rd percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 99%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Red Lake Falls is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Red Lake Falls compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Red Lake Falls's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Red Lake Falls's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 68 complete annual observations from 1915 to 2025, RED LAKE FALLS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.21°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Red Lake Falls primary station fitted change +0.22 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°F (-9°C) | -3°F (-19°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 0.6" | 10.1" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 20°F (-7°C) | 0°F (-18°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 0.6" | 8.6" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 34°F (1°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 0.9" | 7.8" | 28.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 51°F (11°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 1.3" | 3.8" | 17.8 | 0.0 |
| May | 66°F (19°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 2.9" | 0.1" | 3.7 | 0.2 |
| June | 75°F (24°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| July | 79°F (26°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| August | 78°F (26°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| September | 69°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 1.6 | 0.5 |
| October | 53°F (12°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 2.1" | 1.5" | 14.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 35°F (2°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 0.8" | 5.6" | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| December | 21°F (-6°C) | 6°F (-15°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 0.8" | 12.4" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 80°F around July 30, short of 90°F on every date, while 183 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest -4°F near January 24.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 19, then returns to freezing around October 20, covering 183 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 15, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is March 1 at 21%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 105 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 12 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 Red Lake Falls.
Where Red Lake Falls Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 183 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Red Lake Falls earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 10.1"
7.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 8.6"
6.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.8"
6.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.8"
7.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.7 days with precipitation
12.5 days with precipitation
11.2 days with precipitation
9.2 days with precipitation
9.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.5"
8.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
6.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 12.4"
8.4 days with precipitation
Red Lake Falls runs a summer-peaked wet season
48% of Red Lake 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 4.5", on a wide 62.7°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, July, August, taking 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: February at 0.6".
- Winter share: 8% 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.
How Red Lake Falls's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 105 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 24.3" between them, or roughly 0.23 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Red Lake Falls
Red Lake Falls averages 49.9 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 36 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 49.9 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 36 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 21% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 30
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 9
50% probability date
Growing Season
144 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
9,524
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
386
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MN closest to Red Lake 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 (40°F here).
- Carrington, ND 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Grand Forks, ND 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Harvey, ND 40°F · 0.0°F off
- Butternut, WI 40°F · 0.1°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (24.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Menard, TX 24.3" · 0.0" off
- Brackettville, TX 24.3" · 0.0" off
- Niobrara, NE 24.3" · 0.0" off
- Pickstown, SD 24.4" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Red Lake Falls
heating led · moderate · high swing
Winter and seasonal range jointly define this record. Red Lake Falls logs 9,524 heating degree days, more than twice its 386 cooling total, while the typical coldest-to-warmest-month gap reaches 62.7°F. The annual mean therefore compresses two materially different seasons.
Only about 144 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Red Lake Falls coldest normal
January
Averaging 6°F (-14°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Red Lake Falls typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Red Lake Falls snow peak
December
Red Lake Falls averages 49.9 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Red Lake Falls's climate
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Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Red Lake Falls's primary station: RED LAKE FALLS (USC00216787). 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 2753476). Match rule for Red Lake 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 Red Lake 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.