Climate · Gray

Gray, MN climate

Gray has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
82°
932nd hottest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
January low
6°
732nd mildest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
Rain + melted snow
29 in
1343rd driest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
Snow a winter
40 in
325th least snowy of 2,448 Minnesota towns
A normal year

What a year in Gray feels like

Winter

26° / 9°
Typical high / low · 15 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

54° / 33°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 4

Summer

80° / 58°
Typical high / low · 11 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

57° / 36°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 2
Best months to be outsideMayJunJulAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Gray weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January23°6°0.6" 6.0"5 3° – 27°
February28°9°0.8" 8.8"5 6° – 31°
March40°21°1.4" 5.7"6 20° – 45°
April55°33°2.8" 4.0"8 33° – 52°
May68°45°4.0" 0.1"13 51° – 63°
June78°56°4.8" 013 62° – 71°
July82°60°3.6" 010 63° – 77°
August79°57°3.5" 010 63° – 73°
September72°49°3.2" 09 54° – 66°
October58°36°2.2" 1.0"8 40° – 52°
November41°23°1.2" 5.5"5 21° – 43°
December28°11°0.9" 8.5"6 5° – 26°
Year54°34°29.0"39.6"97

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Gray

Gray gets 29 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.

29 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 77% of U.S. towns
40 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 70% of U.S. towns
97 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.8"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.8"
Frost & the growing season

About 152 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first one by October 2. That leaves about 152 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 79% of U.S. towns.

173
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
35
nights below 0° in a normal year
11
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Gray

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Gray, 93% of that work is heating and 7% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

93%heating
8,088 heating degree daysMore heating than 87% of U.S. towns
637 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 66% of U.S. towns

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.

Around Gray

Gray and its neighbors

Gray borders 7 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.5°. Grange has the coldest January nights (5°) and Sweet the hottest July afternoons (82°). Gray’s January low is 6° and its July high 82°.

Chanarambie: January low 6°, July high 82°Osborne: January low 6°, July high 83°Eden: January low 6°, July high 82°Troy: January low 5°, July high 82°Holland: January low 6°, July high 82°Fountain Prairie: January low 5°, July high 82°Lone Rock: January low 6°, July high 82°Cameron: January low 6°, July high 82°Aetna: January low 6°, July high 81°Pipestone: January low 6°, July high 82°Hatfield: January low 6°, July high 82°Burke: January low 6°, July high 82°Elmer: January low 6°, July high 82°Grange: January low 5°, July high 82°Sweet: January low 6°, July high 82°Rock: January low 6°, July high 81°Gray: January low 6°, July high 82° GrayPipestoneHatfieldBurkeElmerGrangeSweetRock
ColderMilder5° to 6°
Grange5.4° −0.4°
Sweet5.5° −0.3°
Hatfield5.7° −0.1°
Burke5.7° −0.1°
Rock5.7° −0.1°
Gray5.8°
Pipestone5.8° same
Elmer5.9° +0.1°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Gray compares

Summer heat82° July high
Cooler than 77% of U.S. towns932nd hottest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
Winter cold6° January low
Colder than 89% of U.S. towns732nd mildest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
Precipitation29" a year
Drier than 77% of U.S. towns1343rd driest of 2,691 Minnesota towns
Snow40" a winter
Snowier than 70% of U.S. towns325th least snowy of 2,448 Minnesota towns
Growing season152 frost-free days
Shorter than 79% of U.S. towns1065th longest of 2,672 Minnesota towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+0.9°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Gray averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°). The shift is smaller than in 77% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.4° now 17°, was 15°
🌷 Spring+0.7° now 44°, was 43°
☀️ Summer−0.1° now 69°, was 69°
🍂 Fall+0.7° now 46°, was 46°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Gray’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 6° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Gray’s climate

What is the coldest month in Gray?

January, with a typical high of 23° and a low of 6°.

What is the hottest month in Gray?

July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 11 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Gray get?

About 40 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Gray?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 2, and the last spring frost by May 4.

What is the rainiest month in Gray?

June, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 29 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Gray itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Pipestone, MN (5 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Gray, MNPipestone CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Gray is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01