Sandy Lake Dam Libby, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Sandy Lake Dam Libby's normal year runs from −2°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.7°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 26°C.
- NOAA stationSandy Lake Dam Libby
- Station IDUSC00217460
- Location46.80°N 93.32°W
- Elevation1,234 ft (376 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Sandy Lake Dam Libby is 50°F and the normal low 32°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Sandy Lake Dam Libby.
- Jan 19° -2°
- Feb 25° 0°
- Mar 37° 14°
- Apr 51° 30°
- May 65° 43°
- Jun 74° 53°
- Jul 78° 58°
- Aug 77° 56°
- Sep 69° 48°
- Oct 54° 35°
- Nov 37° 22°
- Dec 24° 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 at Sandy Lake Dam Libby each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −2°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | −2°F | 8.5°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 0°F | 12.5°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 14°F | 25.6°F | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 30°F | 40.3°F | – | <1 | 20 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 43°F | 53.8°F | – | <1 | 3 | 15 h |
| June | 74°F | 53°F | 63.6°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 78°F | 58°F | 68.2°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 77°F | 56°F | 66.5°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 48°F | 58.2°F | – | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 35°F | 44.2°F | – | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 37°F | 22°F | 29.5°F | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 24°F | 7°F | 15.4°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 30°F | 40.5°F | – | 4 | 182 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −19°C | −13.1°C |
| February | −4°C | −18°C | −10.8°C |
| March | 3°C | −10°C | −3.6°C |
| April | 10°C | −1°C | 4.6°C |
| May | 18°C | 6°C | 12.1°C |
| June | 23°C | 12°C | 17.6°C |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C |
| August | 25°C | 13°C | 19.2°C |
| September | 20°C | 9°C | 14.6°C |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.8°C |
| November | 3°C | −6°C | −1.4°C |
| December | −5°C | −14°C | −9.2°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Wright (19 miles away), gets 59 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00217460; 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 Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00217460.
When is the last frost at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
In Sandy Lake Dam Libby, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 7 in half of years and after May 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 20 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 71 year in 10 after May 21; 9 in 10 after April 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 148 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 29 in half of springs and before October 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sandy Lake Dam Libby in zone 4a in ZIP code 55760, 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 USC00217460; 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 at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
In a normal year in Sandy Lake Dam Libby, 4 days a year reach 90°F and 182 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 182a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 91high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1896) is 101°F, on May 31, 1934; the lowest is −52°F, on January 31, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1953, with 44.36 in; the snowiest season is 1964–65, with 107.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00217460; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00217460. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
Over a year 72% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Sandy Lake Dam Libby, 3.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (79%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70% | 1.6 |
| February | 76% | 2.7 |
| March | 73% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 68% | 5.4 |
| June | 72% | 5.9 |
| July | 79% | 6.2 |
| August | 77% | 5.2 |
| September | 72% | 3.8 |
| October | 65% | 2.4 |
| November | 63% | 1.5 |
| December | 60% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Sandy Lake Dam Libby record?
A normal year at Sandy Lake Dam Libby brings 9,225 heating degree days, 72% 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 1,998 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,753 | 0 |
| February | 1,470 | 0 |
| March | 1,221 | 0 |
| April | 743 | 0 |
| May | 360 | 13 |
| June | 107 | 63 |
| July | 35 | 134 |
| August | 52 | 99 |
| September | 235 | 30 |
| October | 645 | 1 |
| November | 1,067 | 0 |
| December | 1,538 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,225 | 339 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00217460. 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 Sandy Lake Dam Libby been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 41.4°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 40.5°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 42.8°F | +2.3°F |
| 2022 | 38.2°F | −2.3°F |
| 2023 | 42.4°F | +1.9°F |
| 2024 | 44.3°F | +3.8°F |
| 2025 | 41.4°F | +0.9°F |
Over 42 complete years from 1948 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.9°F per century (+0.22°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00217460; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Sandy Lake Dam Libby's climate compare?
Sandy Lake Dam Libby is warmer than 37 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.5°F is warmer than 6%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Sandy Lake Dam Libby share this climate record?
2 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.
- McGregor, MN378 people · 13 mi S
- Palisade, MN169 people · 10 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 Sandy Lake Dam Libby's climate
What is the coldest month at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of −2°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Wright (19 miles away), records 59 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Sandy Lake Dam Libby in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Sandy Lake Dam Libby in zone 4a in ZIP code 55760, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Sandy Lake Dam Libby?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 7; in one year in ten it comes after May 21. Waiting until May 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Wright, MN19 miles from this station, 38.0°F a year
- Floodwood, MN25 miles from this station, 38.4°F a year
- Aitkin, MN25 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Grand Rapids, MN32 miles from this station, 40.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made