Springfield, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Springfield's normal year runs from 4°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 29.6 inches of precipitation and 42 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.9°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 28°C, 751 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSpringfield (1 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00217907
- Location44.25°N 94.99°W
- Elevation1,066 ft (325 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,995
On October 22, the normal high in Springfield is 56°F and the normal low 34°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 22%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Springfield.
- Jan 23° 4°
- Feb 28° 8°
- Mar 40° 21°
- Apr 56° 33°
- May 69° 46°
- Jun 79° 57°
- Jul 82° 60°
- Aug 80° 57°
- Sep 74° 48°
- Oct 60° 36°
- Nov 42° 23°
- Dec 28° 11°
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 Springfield each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 4°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.58 in), the least in January (0.67 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 4°F | 13.5°F | 0.67 | 6.8 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 8°F | 18.0°F | 0.76 | 7.5 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 40°F | 21°F | 30.2°F | 1.58 | 7.7 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 33°F | 44.3°F | 3.14 | 3.8 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 46°F | 57.6°F | 4.26 | 0.2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 79°F | 57°F | 68.1°F | 4.58 | 0.0 | 12 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 82°F | 60°F | 71.2°F | 3.98 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| August | 80°F | 57°F | 68.5°F | 3.53 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 48°F | 61.1°F | 2.91 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 60°F | 36°F | 47.9°F | 1.99 | 0.5 | 7 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 23°F | 32.7°F | 1.36 | 5.3 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 11°F | 19.6°F | 0.79 | 10.5 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 34°F | 44.4°F | 29.55 | 42.3 | 92 | 12 | 169 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −10.3°C | 17 mm | 17 cm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.8°C | 19 mm | 19 cm |
| March | 4°C | −6°C | −1.0°C | 40 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 13°C | 0°C | 6.8°C | 80 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.2°C | 108 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 116 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.3°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 16.2°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 15°C | 2°C | 8.8°C | 51 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 6°C | −5°C | 0.4°C | 35 mm | 13 cm |
| December | −2°C | −12°C | −6.9°C | 20 mm | 27 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00217907; 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 Springfield?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September 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 USC00217907.
When is the last frost in Springfield?
In Springfield, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 17 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 41 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 20
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 17
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 150 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 171 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 24 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Springfield in zone 5a in ZIP code 56087, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Springfield's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (23 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 USC00217907; 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 Springfield?
In a normal year in Springfield, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 169 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 92 days bring measurable precipitation.
- 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
- 169a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 92a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1937) is 105°F, on July 24, 1940; the lowest is −32°F, on January 21, 1970.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1968, with 39.95 in; the snowiest season is 1961–62, with 73.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00217907; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00217907. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Springfield?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Springfield, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (66%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 1.9 |
| February | 80% | 3.0 |
| March | 71% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 83% | 6.5 |
| August | 80% | 5.4 |
| September | 78% | 4.2 |
| October | 71% | 2.8 |
| November | 69% | 1.8 |
| December | 66% | 1.4 |
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 Springfield need?
A normal year in Springfield brings 8,068 heating degree days, 50% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 593 cooling degree days, 35% 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 2,566 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,598 | 0 |
| February | 1,317 | 0 |
| March | 1,079 | 0 |
| April | 624 | 3 |
| May | 266 | 38 |
| June | 49 | 142 |
| July | 14 | 206 |
| August | 32 | 140 |
| September | 172 | 57 |
| October | 539 | 7 |
| November | 971 | 0 |
| December | 1,407 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,068 | 593 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00217907. 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.
How does Springfield's climate compare?
Springfield is warmer than 86 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 57. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.4°F is warmer than 17%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Springfield 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 Springfield share this climate record?
5 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.
- Comfrey, MN376 people · 10 mi SE
- Sanborn, MN318 people · 8 mi W
- Clements, MN148 people · 10 mi N
- Evan, MN71 people · 11 mi NE
- Cobden, MN32 people · 7 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 Springfield's climate
What is the coldest month in Springfield?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 4°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Springfield?
Yes: 42 inches in a normal year, falling on 23 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Springfield?
June, with 4.58 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.67 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Springfield in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Springfield in zone 5a in ZIP code 56087, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Springfield's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Springfield?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lamberton, MN16 miles from this station, 44.4°F a year
- Redwood Falls, MN21 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- New Ulm, MN25 miles from this station, 45.9°F a year
- St. James, MN25 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made