Red Lake, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Red Lake's normal year runs from −3°F January nights to 77°F July afternoons, with 22.8 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.1°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 25°C, 578 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRed Lake Indian Agcy
- Station IDUSC00216795
- Location47.88°N 95.02°W
- Elevation1,216 ft (371 m)
- Population (census place)1,506
On October 14, the normal high in Red Lake is 53°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Red Lake.
- Jan 16° -3°
- Feb 21° 1°
- Mar 34° 15°
- Apr 48° 29°
- May 62° 43°
- Jun 72° 54°
- Jul 77° 60°
- Aug 76° 57°
- Sep 66° 48°
- Oct 51° 36°
- Nov 34° 21°
- Dec 21° 6°
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 Red Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 77°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −3°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.61 in), the least in December (0.40 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | −3°F | 6.6°F | 1.03 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 21°F | 1°F | 10.8°F | 0.55 | 2 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 34°F | 15°F | 24.4°F | 0.81 | 3 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 48°F | 29°F | 38.5°F | 1.28 | 6 | <1 | 21 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 62°F | 43°F | 52.7°F | 2.91 | 9 | <1 | 5 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 72°F | 54°F | 63.1°F | 3.61 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 77°F | 60°F | 68.1°F | 3.51 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 76°F | 57°F | 66.5°F | 2.78 | 8 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 66°F | 48°F | 56.9°F | 2.50 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 51°F | 36°F | 43.4°F | 2.34 | 8 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 34°F | 21°F | 27.5°F | 1.05 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 21°F | 6°F | 13.6°F | 0.40 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 48°F | 31°F | 39.3°F | 22.77 | 75 | 4 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −19°C | −14.1°C | 26 mm |
| February | −6°C | −17°C | −11.8°C | 14 mm |
| March | 1°C | −10°C | −4.2°C | 21 mm |
| April | 9°C | −2°C | 3.6°C | 33 mm |
| May | 17°C | 6°C | 11.5°C | 74 mm |
| June | 22°C | 12°C | 17.3°C | 92 mm |
| July | 25°C | 15°C | 20.1°C | 89 mm |
| August | 24°C | 14°C | 19.2°C | 71 mm |
| September | 19°C | 9°C | 13.8°C | 64 mm |
| October | 11°C | 2°C | 6.3°C | 59 mm |
| November | 1°C | −6°C | −2.5°C | 27 mm |
| December | −6°C | −14°C | −10.2°C | 10 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 USC00216795; 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 Red Lake?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00216795.
When is the last frost in Red Lake?
In Red Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 4 in half of years and before September 19 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 121 year in 10 after May 30; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 41 year in 10 before September 19; 9 in 10 before October 19
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 142 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 162 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Red Lake in zone 3b in ZIP code 56670, 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 USC00216795; 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 Red Lake?
In a normal year in Red Lake, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 75 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a 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
- 101high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 75a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1943) is 101°F, on July 31, 2006; the lowest is −48°F, on January 4, 1968.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1975, with 29.69 in; the snowiest season is 1971–72, with 87.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00216795; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00216795. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Red Lake?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Red Lake, 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 Red Lake need?
A normal year in Red Lake brings 9,639 heating degree days, 79% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 339 cooling degree days, 63% 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 1,958 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,809 | 0 |
| February | 1,517 | 0 |
| March | 1,259 | 0 |
| April | 795 | 0 |
| May | 396 | 14 |
| June | 115 | 60 |
| July | 39 | 136 |
| August | 56 | 102 |
| September | 267 | 24 |
| October | 670 | 2 |
| November | 1,125 | 0 |
| December | 1,592 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,639 | 339 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00216795. 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 Red Lake been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 42.3°F, 3.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 39.3°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.3°F | +4.0°F | 17.00 |
| 2022 | 37.7°F | −1.6°F | 24.29 |
| 2024 | 44.3°F | +5.0°F | 22.20 |
| 2025 | 42.3°F | +3.0°F | 17.59 |
Over 55 complete years from 1910 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.5°F per century (+0.20°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00216795; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Red Lake's climate compare?
Red Lake is warmer than 19 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 39.3°F is warmer than 5%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Red Lake 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 Red Lake share this climate record?
4 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.
- Redby, MN1,175 people · 5 mi E
- Little Rock, MN1,075 people · 4 mi W
- Ponemah, MN740 people · 12 mi NE
- Leonard, MN43 people · 19 mi SW
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 Red Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Red Lake?
January, with a normal high of 16°F and a normal low of −3°F. The warmest is July (77°F by day, 60°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Red Lake?
June, with 3.61 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.40 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Red Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Red Lake in zone 3b in ZIP code 56670, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Red Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; 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
- Thorhult, MN25 miles from this station, 39.5°F a year
- Blackduck, MN27 miles from this station, 37.7°F a year
- Northome, MN35 miles from this station, 38.2°F a year
- Waskish (4 mi NE), MN35 miles from this station, 38.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made