Little Elbow, MN climate
Little Elbow has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to -2°, and about 52 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Little Elbow feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Little Elbow 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 | 16° | -2° | 0.7" | 9.6" | 9 | -7° – 22° |
| February | 22° | 1° | 0.7" | 8.0" | 8 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 35° | 15° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 8 | 14° – 39° |
| April | 51° | 29° | 1.8" | 6.2" | 9 | 31° – 49° |
| May | 65° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 13 | 47° – 60° |
| June | 74° | 52° | 4.5" | 0 | 14 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 78° | 57° | 3.8" | 0 | 13 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 77° | 54° | 3.2" | 0 | 11 | 59° – 70° |
| September | 68° | 46° | 2.8" | 0 | 12 | 50° – 63° |
| October | 52° | 34° | 2.5" | 1.0" | 11 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 35° | 20° | 1.0" | 9.1" | 9 | 17° – 39° |
| December | 22° | 6° | 0.9" | 9.8" | 10 | 0° – 22° |
| Year | 50° | 29° | 26.0" | 51.6" | 126 |
“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 Little Elbow
Little Elbow gets 26 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 126 days a year.
About 150 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first one by October 3. That leaves about 150 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 81% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Little Elbow
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Little Elbow, 96% of that work is heating and 4% 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.
Little Elbow and its neighbors
Little Elbow borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.5°. Twin Lakes has the coldest January nights (-2°) and Oakland the hottest July afternoons (79°). Little Elbow’s January low is -2° and its July high 78°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Little Elbow 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 Little Elbow averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°). The shift is larger than in 70% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Little Elbow’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 -7° to 22°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Common questions about Little Elbow’s climate
What is the coldest month in Little Elbow?
January, with a typical high of 16° and a low of -2°.
What is the hottest month in Little Elbow?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 57°. About 3 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Little Elbow get?
About 52 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Little Elbow?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 3, and the last spring frost by May 5.
What is the rainiest month in Little Elbow?
June, with 4.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 26 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Little Elbow itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Itasca Univ Of Minn, MN (19 mi, snow) and Tamarac Wildlife Re, MN (16 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.