Cottage Grove, MN climate
Cottage Grove has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Cottage Grove feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Cottage Grove weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 7° | 0.9" | 10.5" | 6 | 4° – 28° |
| February | 28° | 11° | 0.8" | 6.4" | 5 | 7° – 32° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.7" | 8.0" | 6 | 23° – 48° |
| April | 56° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.8" | 8 | 35° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 48° | 4.2" | 0 | 11 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 58° | 5.0" | 0 | 11 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 63° | 4.2" | 0 | 10 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 4.5" | 0 | 9 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 53° | 3.4" | 0 | 8 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 7 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 42° | 26° | 1.6" | 7.0" | 6 | 24° – 46° |
| December | 28° | 14° | 1.2" | 7.0" | 6 | 8° – 30° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 33.3" | 41.0" | 94 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove gets 33 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first one by October 19. That leaves about 177 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 51% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Cottage Grove
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Cottage Grove, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Cottage Grove and its neighbors
Cottage Grove borders 7 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.4°. Grey Cloud Island has both the coldest January nights (7°) and the hottest July afternoons (83°). Cottage Grove’s January low is 7° and its July high 82°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Cottage Grove compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cottage Grove averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°). The shift is larger than in 64% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Cottage Grove’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 23° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Cottage Grove’s climate
What is the coldest month in Cottage Grove?
January, with a typical high of 23° and a low of 7°.
What is the hottest month in Cottage Grove?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 63°. About 8 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Cottage Grove get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in Cottage Grove?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 19, and the last spring frost by April 23.
What is the rainiest month in Cottage Grove?
June, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 33 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Cottage Grove itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Farmington 3 Nw, MN (16 mi, snow) and Hastings Dam 2, MN (4 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.