Minnesota Weather

In Minneapolis, the summers are warm and wet; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year-round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 9°F to 83°F and is rarely below -11°F or above 92°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Minneapolis for warm-weather activities is from mid-June to early September.

The warm season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 22 to September 17, with an average daily high temperature above 71°F. The hottest day of the year is July 18, with an average high of 83°F and low of 65°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.3 months, from November 26 to March 4, with an average daily high temperature below 36°F. The coldest day of the year is January 22, with an average low of 9°F and high of 24°F.

In Minneapolis, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Minneapolis begins around June 10 and lasts for 4.2 months, ending around October 17. On July 28, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 71% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 28% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 17 and lasts for 7.8 months, ending around June 10. On February 5, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 60% of the time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 40% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Minneapolis varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.8 months, from April 10 to October 4, with a greater than 25% chance of a given day being a wet day. The chance of a wet day peaks at 41% on June 20.

The drier season lasts 6.2 months, from October 4 to April 10. The smallest chance of a wet day is 8% on February 3.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Minneapolis changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 8.8 months, from March 4 to November 28. The highest chance of a day with rain alone is 41% on June 20.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.2 months, from November 28 to March 4. The highest chance of a day with snow alone is 8% on December 29.

Minneapolis experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from March 3 to December 5, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The most rain falls during the 31 days centered around June 19, with an average total accumulation of 4.3 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from December 5 to March 3. The least rain falls around January 25, with an average total accumulation of 0.1 inches.

We report snowfall in liquid-equivalent terms. The actual depth of new snowfall is typically between 5 and 10 times the liquid-equivalent amount, assuming the ground is frozen. Colder, drier snow tends to be on the higher end of that range and warmer, wetter snow on the lower end.

Minneapolis experiences some seasonal variation in monthly liquid-equivalent snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 5.6 months, from October 27 to April 15, with a sliding 31-day liquid-equivalent snowfall of at least 0.1 inches. The most snow falls during the 31 days centered around December 10, with an average total liquid-equivalent accumulation of 0.5 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 6.4 months, from April 15 to October 27. The least snow falls around July 22, with an average total liquid-equivalent accumulation of 0.0 inches.