Fine Lakes, MN climate
Fine Lakes has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to -1°, and about 59 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Fine Lakes feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Fine Lakes 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 | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | -1° | 0.8" | 10.6" | 7 | 30 | -4° – 23° |
| February | 25° | 2° | 0.8" | 11.9" | 6 | 27 | 2° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 15° | 1.3" | 8.3" | 6 | 22 | 16° – 38° |
| April | 51° | 28° | 2.3" | 4.7" | 9 | 4 | 30° – 47° |
| May | 64° | 39° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 73° | 49° | 4.6" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 57° – 65° |
| July | 78° | 54° | 4.2" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 52° | 3.8" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| September | 67° | 45° | 3.2" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 53° | 33° | 2.9" | 2.0" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 47° |
| November | 36° | 20° | 1.5" | 9.2" | 7 | 11 | 19° – 39° |
| December | 23° | 7° | 1.2" | 12.3" | 7 | 25 | 2° – 24° |
| Year | 50° | 28° | 29.9" | 59.2" | 101 | 121 |
“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 Fine Lakes
Fine Lakes gets 30 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 121 days of the year.
About 107 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 31 and the first one by September 18. That leaves about 107 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 99% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Fine Lakes
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Fine Lakes, 99% of that work is heating and 1% 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.
Fine Lakes and its neighbors
Fine Lakes borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.3°. Floodwood has the coldest January nights (-2°) and Prairie Lake the hottest July afternoons (78°). Fine Lakes’s January low is -1° and its July high 78°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Fine Lakes 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 Fine Lakes averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°). The shift is larger than in 91% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Fine Lakes’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. January swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from -4° to 23°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Fine Lakes’s climate
What is the coldest month in Fine Lakes?
January, with a typical high of 19° and a low of -1°.
What is the hottest month in Fine Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 54°. About 1 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Fine Lakes get?
About 59 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Fine Lakes?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by September 18, and the last spring frost by May 31.
What is the rainiest month in Fine Lakes?
June, with 4.6 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 30 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Fine Lakes itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Wright 3 E, MN (10 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.