Stillwater, Minnesota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Stillwater's normal year runs from 5°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 33.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.8°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 26°C, 843 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationStillwater (2 mi SW)
- Station IDUSC00218039
- Location45.05°N 92.85°W
- Elevation898 ft (274 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population19,386
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Stillwater.
- Jan 22° 5°
- Feb 28° 8°
- Mar 41° 20°
- Apr 55° 34°
- May 67° 47°
- Jun 76° 58°
- Jul 79° 62°
- Aug 78° 60°
- Sep 71° 51°
- Oct 58° 38°
- Nov 41° 25°
- Dec 28° 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 in Stillwater each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.79 in), the least in January (0.85 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 5°F | 13.6°F | 0.85 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 28°F | 8°F | 17.8°F | 0.92 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 41°F | 20°F | 30.3°F | 1.62 | – | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 34°F | 44.5°F | 2.97 | – | <1 | 13 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 47°F | 57.1°F | 4.17 | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 76°F | 58°F | 66.6°F | 4.79 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 79°F | 62°F | 70.8°F | 4.38 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 60°F | 69.1°F | 4.41 | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 51°F | 60.9°F | 3.32 | – | <1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 38°F | 47.8°F | 2.74 | – | <1 | 8 | 11 h |
| November | 41°F | 25°F | 33.3°F | 1.82 | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 28°F | 13°F | 20.0°F | 1.21 | – | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 35°F | 44.3°F | 33.20 | – | 4 | 159 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −10.2°C | 22 mm |
| February | −2°C | −13°C | −7.9°C | 23 mm |
| March | 5°C | −7°C | −0.9°C | 41 mm |
| April | 13°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 75 mm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 13.9°C | 106 mm |
| June | 24°C | 14°C | 19.2°C | 122 mm |
| July | 26°C | 17°C | 21.6°C | 111 mm |
| August | 25°C | 16°C | 20.6°C | 112 mm |
| September | 22°C | 11°C | 16.1°C | 84 mm |
| October | 14°C | 3°C | 8.8°C | 70 mm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.7°C | 46 mm |
| December | −2°C | −11°C | −6.7°C | 31 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, University of Minnesota St Paul (16 miles away), gets 40 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218039; 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 Stillwater?
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 USC00218039.
When is the last frost in Stillwater?
In Stillwater, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before September 28 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 13; 9 in 10 after April 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before September 28; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 163 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Stillwater in zone 4b in ZIP code 55082.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00218039; 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 Stillwater?
In a normal year in Stillwater, 4 days a year reach 90°F and 159 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
- 159a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 79high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00218039.
How sunny is Stillwater?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Stillwater, 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 much heating and cooling does Stillwater need?
A normal year in Stillwater brings 8,008 heating degree days, 49% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 511 cooling degree days, 44% 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 2,473 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,592 | 0 |
| February | 1,323 | 0 |
| March | 1,074 | 0 |
| April | 616 | 1 |
| May | 270 | 24 |
| June | 49 | 99 |
| July | 10 | 190 |
| August | 21 | 146 |
| September | 169 | 48 |
| October | 536 | 4 |
| November | 953 | 0 |
| December | 1,395 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,008 | 511 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218039. 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 Stillwater been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 46.0°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.3°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.6°F | +2.3°F | 28.46 |
| 2023 | 47.1°F | +2.8°F | – |
| 2024 | 48.6°F | +4.3°F | 40.04 |
| 2025 | 46.0°F | +1.7°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00218039. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Stillwater's climate compare?
Stillwater is warmer than 85 of the other 128 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 94. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.3°F is warmer than 17%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Stillwater 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 Stillwater share this climate record?
16 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.
- Hugo, MN16,765 people · 10 mi NW
- Hudson, WI15,031 people · 8 mi SE
- Lake Elmo, MN14,161 people · 5 mi SW
- New Richmond, WI10,879 people · 16 mi E
- Mahtomedi, MN8,199 people · 6 mi W
- Oak Park Heights, MN4,674 people · 2 mi E
- Grant, MN3,942 people · 4 mi NW
- North Hudson, WI3,819 people · 6 mi SE
- Bayport, MN3,785 people · 4 mi SE
- Somerset, WI3,382 people · 10 mi NE
- Roberts, WI2,476 people · 16 mi E
- Dellwood, MN1,147 people · 7 mi NW
- Star Prairie, WI664 people · 19 mi NE
- Willernie, MN512 people · 5 mi W
- Pine Springs, MN384 people · 5 mi W
- Houlton, WI106 people · 3 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Stillwater's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Stillwater. This page uses Stillwater (2 mi SW); the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater (1 mi SE) USC00218037 | 2 mi SE | 710 ft | 48.4°F | 9°F | 85°F | 35.1 | – | April 22 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Stillwater's climate
What is the coldest month in Stillwater?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 5°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Stillwater?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Stillwater's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, University of Minnesota St Paul (16 miles away), records 40 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Stillwater?
June, with 4.79 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.85 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Stillwater in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Stillwater in zone 4b in ZIP code 55082.
How late can frost come in Stillwater?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Vadnais Lake, MN12 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- St. Paul, MN12 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- University of Minnesota St Paul, MN16 miles from this station, 44.7°F a year
- River Falls, WI17 miles from this station, 43.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made