White Rock Dam, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
White Rock Dam's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 24.5 inches of precipitation and 36 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.0°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 28°C, 622 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWhite Rock Dam
- Station IDUSC00218947
- Location45.86°N 96.57°W
- Elevation1,024 ft (312 m)
On October 23, the normal high in White Rock Dam is 53°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for White Rock Dam.
- Jan 20° 1°
- Feb 24° 5°
- Mar 37° 19°
- Apr 54° 33°
- May 69° 46°
- Jun 77° 57°
- Jul 82° 61°
- Aug 80° 58°
- Sep 72° 49°
- Oct 57° 36°
- Nov 39° 22°
- Dec 25° 8°
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 White Rock Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.12 in), the least in January (0.59 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°F | 1°F | 10.3°F | 0.59 | 4.9 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 24°F | 5°F | 14.4°F | 0.64 | 9.0 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 37°F | 19°F | 27.7°F | 1.11 | 5.4 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 33°F | 43.0°F | 2.27 | 4.4 | 8 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 69°F | 46°F | 57.3°F | 2.91 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 77°F | 57°F | 66.9°F | 4.12 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 82°F | 61°F | 71.3°F | 3.70 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 80°F | 58°F | 68.7°F | 2.42 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 49°F | 60.4°F | 2.57 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 36°F | 46.4°F | 2.43 | 0.6 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 39°F | 22°F | 30.6°F | 0.97 | 1.7 | 4 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 25°F | 8°F | 16.6°F | 0.74 | 9.9 | 6 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 33°F | 42.8°F | 24.47 | 35.9 | 86 | 10 | 174 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −17°C | −12.1°C | 15 mm | 12 cm |
| February | −4°C | −15°C | −9.8°C | 16 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 3°C | −7°C | −2.4°C | 28 mm | 14 cm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.1°C | 58 mm | 11 cm |
| May | 20°C | 8°C | 14.1°C | 74 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 25°C | 14°C | 19.4°C | 105 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.4°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.8°C | 65 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 8.0°C | 62 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 4°C | −6°C | −0.8°C | 25 mm | 4 cm |
| December | −4°C | −13°C | −8.6°C | 19 mm | 25 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218947; 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 White Rock Dam?
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 (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 USC00218947.
When is the last frost at White Rock Dam?
In White Rock Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 22 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 31 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 22; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 174 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before October 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts White Rock Dam in zone 4b in ZIP code 56296, 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 USC00218947; 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 White Rock Dam?
In a normal year in White Rock Dam, 10 days a year reach 90°F, 174 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 86 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 174a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 89high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 86a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 12a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00218947.
How sunny is it at White Rock Dam?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at White Rock Dam, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 1.9 |
| February | 82% | 3.0 |
| March | 73% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 4.9 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 76% | 6.3 |
| July | 83% | 6.6 |
| August | 81% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.2 |
| October | 70% | 2.7 |
| November | 70% | 1.8 |
| December | 65% | 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 White Rock Dam record?
A normal year at White Rock Dam brings 8,592 heating degree days, 60% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 545 cooling degree days, 40% 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 2,462 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,696 | 0 |
| February | 1,415 | 0 |
| March | 1,156 | 0 |
| April | 659 | 1 |
| May | 268 | 28 |
| June | 57 | 114 |
| July | 13 | 210 |
| August | 30 | 145 |
| September | 184 | 46 |
| October | 581 | 3 |
| November | 1,034 | 0 |
| December | 1,499 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,592 | 545 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00218947. 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 White Rock Dam's climate compare?
White Rock Dam is warmer than 58 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.8°F is warmer than 12%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, White Rock Dam 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 White Rock Dam 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.
- Rosholt, SD372 people · 8 mi W
- Fairmount, ND331 people · 13 mi N
- Tintah, MN61 people · 16 mi NE
- White Rock, SD7 people · 4 mi N
- White Rock Colony, SD0 people · 5 mi NW
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 White Rock Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at White Rock Dam?
January, with a normal high of 20°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at White Rock Dam?
Yes: 36 inches in a normal year, falling on 18 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (9.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month at White Rock Dam?
June, with 4.12 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.59 in.
What plant hardiness zone is White Rock Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts White Rock Dam in zone 4b in ZIP code 56296, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at White Rock Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; 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
- Wheaton, MN5 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Victor (4 mi N), SD14 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Browns Valley, MN22 miles from this station, 43.0°F a year
- Sisseton, SD24 miles from this station, 44.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made