University of Minnesota St Paul, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
University of Minnesota St Paul's normal year runs from 6°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 32.7 inches of precipitation and 40 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.1°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 27°C, 831 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationUniversity of Minnesota St Paul
- Station IDUSC00218450
- Location44.99°N 93.18°W
- Elevation970 ft (296 m)
On October 23, the normal high in University of Minnesota St Paul is 54°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 31%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for University of Minnesota St Paul.
- Jan 21° 6°
- Feb 27° 9°
- Mar 39° 22°
- Apr 55° 36°
- May 67° 48°
- Jun 77° 59°
- Jul 81° 63°
- Aug 79° 61°
- Sep 71° 52°
- Oct 57° 39°
- Nov 40° 25°
- Dec 26° 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 at University of Minnesota St Paul each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 6°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.60 in), the least in January (0.68 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 6°F | 13.3°F | 0.68 | 8.3 | 7 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 27°F | 9°F | 17.9°F | 0.75 | 12.3 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 22°F | 30.9°F | 1.61 | 4.0 | 9 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 36°F | 45.2°F | 3.02 | 2.1 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 48°F | 57.7°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 59°F | 67.9°F | 4.60 | 0.0 | 13 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 81°F | 63°F | 72.1°F | 4.55 | 0.0 | 11 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 61°F | 69.8°F | 4.52 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 52°F | 61.8°F | 3.29 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 39°F | 48.1°F | 2.89 | 0.5 | 10 | <1 | 7 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 25°F | 32.6°F | 1.53 | 3.0 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 26°F | 13°F | 19.5°F | 1.06 | 10.2 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 36°F | 44.7°F | 32.73 | 40.4 | 116 | 11 | 152 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −15°C | −10.4°C | 17 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −3°C | −13°C | −7.8°C | 19 mm | 31 cm |
| March | 4°C | −5°C | −0.6°C | 41 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 13°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 77 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 19°C | 9°C | 14.3°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 15°C | 19.9°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 17°C | 22.3°C | 116 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 16°C | 21.0°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 11°C | 16.6°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 4°C | 8.9°C | 73 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 5°C | −4°C | 0.3°C | 39 mm | 8 cm |
| December | −3°C | −11°C | −6.9°C | 27 mm | 26 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218450; 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 University of Minnesota St Paul?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, August has the fewest days with rain (11).
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 USC00218450.
When is the last frost at University of Minnesota St Paul?
In University of Minnesota St Paul, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 28 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 8 in half of years and before September 25 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 281 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 81 year in 10 before September 25; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 162 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 184 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 18 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts University of Minnesota St Paul in zone 5a in ZIP code 55108, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (30 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 USC00218450; 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 at University of Minnesota St Paul?
In a normal year in University of Minnesota St Paul, 11 days a year reach 90°F, 152 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 116 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 152a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 74high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 116a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 8a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1963) is 105°F, on July 31, 1988; the lowest is −32°F, on February 2, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 42.95 in; the snowiest season is 2010–11, with 85.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00218450; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00218450. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at University of Minnesota St Paul?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at University of Minnesota St Paul, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (62%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 1.8 |
| February | 78% | 3.0 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 74% | 6.0 |
| July | 82% | 6.4 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 76% | 4.2 |
| October | 69% | 2.7 |
| November | 67% | 1.8 |
| December | 62% | 1.3 |
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 University of Minnesota St Paul record?
A normal year at University of Minnesota St Paul brings 7,992 heating degree days, 49% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 641 cooling degree days, 29% 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 2,650 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,601 | 0 |
| February | 1,317 | 0 |
| March | 1,059 | 0 |
| April | 599 | 3 |
| May | 262 | 34 |
| June | 51 | 136 |
| July | 9 | 229 |
| August | 22 | 170 |
| September | 159 | 62 |
| October | 530 | 6 |
| November | 971 | 0 |
| December | 1,412 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,992 | 641 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218450. 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 University of Minnesota St Paul been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 45.6°F, 0.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.7°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.9°F | +2.1°F | 26.37 | 31.1 |
| 2022 | 43.1°F | −1.6°F | 23.79 | 59.7 |
| 2023 | 47.0°F | +2.3°F | 34.90 | 54.4 |
| 2024 | 48.3°F | +3.6°F | 37.95 | 31.5 |
| 2025 | 45.6°F | +0.9°F | 35.21 | 39.4 |
Over 61 complete years from 1964 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 6.5°F per century (+0.36°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00218450; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does University of Minnesota St Paul's climate compare?
University of Minnesota St Paul is warmer than 96 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 88. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.7°F is warmer than 18%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, University of Minnesota St Paul is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot 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 University of Minnesota St Paul 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.
- Roseville, MN35,637 people · 2 mi NE
- New Brighton, MN22,374 people · 5 mi N
- St. Anthony, MN9,993 people · 3 mi NW
- Falcon Heights, MN5,002 people · 0 mi SE
- Lauderdale, MN2,341 people · 1 mi W
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 University of Minnesota St Paul's climate
What is the coldest month at University of Minnesota St Paul?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 6°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow at University of Minnesota St Paul?
Yes: 40 inches in a normal year, falling on 18 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (12.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at University of Minnesota St Paul?
June, with 4.60 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.68 in.
What plant hardiness zone is University of Minnesota St Paul in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts University of Minnesota St Paul in zone 5a in ZIP code 55108, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −18°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at University of Minnesota St Paul?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 28; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lower St Anthony Falls, MN3 miles from this station, 45.8°F a year
- Vadnais Lake, MN6 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- St. Paul, MN7 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Minneapolis, MN8 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made