Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, Minnesota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 76°F July afternoons, with 32.5 inches of precipitation and 94 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.8°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 24°C, 826 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center
- Station IDUSC00219134
- Location47.45°N 91.22°W
- Elevation1,400 ft (427 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center is 48°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 35%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.
- Jan 19° 1°
- Feb 24° 3°
- Mar 35° 15°
- Apr 46° 28°
- May 60° 40°
- Jun 70° 49°
- Jul 76° 55°
- Aug 74° 54°
- Sep 65° 46°
- Oct 51° 34°
- Nov 36° 21°
- Dec 24° 9°
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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 76°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.05 in), the least in February (1.17 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 1°F | 10.1°F | 1.34 | 24.0 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 24°F | 3°F | 13.7°F | 1.17 | 15.5 | 8 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 35°F | 15°F | 25.0°F | 1.66 | 12.1 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 46°F | 28°F | 37.1°F | 2.68 | 8.5 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 60°F | 40°F | 49.7°F | 3.52 | 0.4 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 70°F | 49°F | 59.6°F | 4.05 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 76°F | 55°F | 65.3°F | 3.25 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 74°F | 54°F | 63.9°F | 3.31 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 65°F | 46°F | 55.5°F | 3.30 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 51°F | 34°F | 42.6°F | 3.51 | 1.5 | 11 | <1 | 14 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 21°F | 28.4°F | 2.72 | 10.0 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 24°F | 9°F | 16.5°F | 2.01 | 22.2 | 10 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 48°F | 30°F | 38.9°F | 32.52 | 94.2 | 129 | 3 | 187 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −17°C | −12.2°C | 34 mm | 61 cm |
| February | −4°C | −16°C | −10.2°C | 30 mm | 39 cm |
| March | 2°C | −9°C | −3.9°C | 42 mm | 31 cm |
| April | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C | 68 mm | 22 cm |
| May | 15°C | 4°C | 9.8°C | 89 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 21°C | 10°C | 15.3°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 24°C | 13°C | 18.5°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 24°C | 12°C | 17.7°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 19°C | 8°C | 13.1°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 11°C | 1°C | 5.9°C | 89 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 2°C | −6°C | −2.0°C | 69 mm | 25 cm |
| December | −4°C | −13°C | −8.6°C | 51 mm | 56 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00219134; 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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00219134.
When is the last frost at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
In Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 15 in half of years and after May 31 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 151 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 137 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 55603, 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 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (24 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Minnesota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00219134; 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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
In a normal year in Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 3 days a year reach 90°F, 187 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 129 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 187a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 97high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 129a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 24a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00219134.
How sunny is it at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
Over a year 69% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (78%) and December the cloudiest (55%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 58% | 1.2 |
| February | 63% | 2.1 |
| March | 66% | 3.3 |
| April | 69% | 4.6 |
| May | 69% | 5.4 |
| June | 71% | 5.9 |
| July | 78% | 6.1 |
| August | 77% | 5.1 |
| September | 72% | 3.7 |
| October | 63% | 2.3 |
| November | 57% | 1.3 |
| December | 55% | 0.9 |
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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center record?
A normal year at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center brings 9,634 heating degree days, 79% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 175 cooling degree days, 81% 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 1,543 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,702 | 0 |
| February | 1,436 | 0 |
| March | 1,240 | 0 |
| April | 836 | 0 |
| May | 480 | 4 |
| June | 187 | 25 |
| July | 72 | 81 |
| August | 88 | 54 |
| September | 297 | 12 |
| October | 694 | 0 |
| November | 1,100 | 0 |
| December | 1,503 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,634 | 175 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00219134. 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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 41.4°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 38.9°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.5°F | +2.6°F | 28.54 | 65.4 |
| 2022 | 36.8°F | −2.1°F | – | 162.3 |
| 2024 | 41.4°F | +2.5°F | 37.52 | 58.1 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00219134. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center's climate compare?
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center is warmer than 16 of the 129 places with their own NOAA record in Minnesota, and wetter than 87. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.9°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center 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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center share this climate record?
3 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.
- Silver Bay, MN1,776 people · 11 mi S
- Finland, MN220 people · 2 mi SW
- Beaver Bay, MN122 people · 14 mi S
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 Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center's climate
What is the coldest month at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (76°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
Yes: 94 inches in a normal year, falling on 48 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (24.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
June, with 4.05 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.17 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 55603, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −24°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 15; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Minnesota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Isabella (14 mi W), MN22 miles from this station, 37.2°F a year
- Lutsen, MN31 miles from this station, 36.7°F a year
- Brimson (2 mi S), MN34 miles from this station, 36.9°F a year
- Two Harbors, MN36 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made