Minneapolis Weather

Minneapolis experiences a harsh continental climate and is one of the coldest cities in the United States, mainly due to its northerly and land-locked location. There can be large seasonal temperature variations and summers are often pleasant and warm.

Summer

Summer is undoubtedly the best time to visit Minneapolis. Hot and humid temperatures are the norm and thunderstorms are frequent. Some of these storms produce large hail stones and can develop into tornadoes. The peak tornado month in Minneapolis is June. The warmest month of the year is July when temperatures climb to an average 29C and overnight lows average 17C. The hot weather is usually confined to June through to August but sometimes begins as early as April or May, and can last into September.

Winter

Winters are bitterly cold throughout the region with heavy falls of snow and temperatures plunging well below freezing. Minneapolis has the coldest annual mean temperature of all the major metropolitan areas in the United States. Records show that temperatures are below freezing point for 76 days of the year. January is the coldest month with high temperatures averaging only -5C and overnight lows averaging -15C. There is a chance of snow falling anytime between November and April and severe weather conditions such as blizzards and freezing rain are a constant problem.

Spring and autumn
The weather in spring and autumn can be enjoyable but very unpredictable. Early spring can see longer periods of light rain over large areas. As the weather becomes warmer and more humid, heavy thunderstorms start to develop. Autumn is generally the reverse of the spring weather. Temperatures become increasingly volatile and storm systems bring increasingly colder weather until the rain begins to change to snow.

Average Temperature (°C)

30 22 15 8 0

Jan -2.7

Feb 0.0

Mar 5.4

Apr 12.2

May 17.6

Jun 23.4

Jul 26.6

Aug 25.7

Sep 20.6

Oct 13.7

Nov 5.4

Dec -0.5

Rainfall (mm)

110 82 55 28 0

Jan 15.3

Feb 22.6

Mar 37.3

Apr 58.8

May 102.1

Jun 105.5

Jul 84.3

Aug 83.1

Sep 76.5

Oct 50.4

Nov 29.4

Dec 18.8