Climateby Month

Rochester, MN climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 1,024 ft elevation

Summers in Rochester are warm and often humid; winters are very cold and snowy. Highs peak at 80°F in July and fall to 23°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 8 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 53 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May, June and September.

Warmest month
80°F
July normal high
Coldest month
7°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
124
34.7 in of precipitation
Snow a year
53.1 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Rochester?

Normal highs range from 23°F in January to 80°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 23°F (-5°C), low 7°F (-14°C) 23° 7° February: normal high 27°F (-3°C), low 11°F (-12°C) March: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 23°F (-5°C) April: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 35°F (2°C) May: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 47°F (8°C) June: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 58°F (14°C) July: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 61°F (16°C) 80° 61° August: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 58°F (14°C) September: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 50°F (10°C) October: normal high 58°F (14°C), low 38°F (3°C) November: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 26°F (-3°C) December: normal high 28°F (-2°C), low 14°F (-10°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Rochester?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 35 in of precipitation.

January: 9 wet days February: 8 wet days 8 March: 10 wet days April: 12 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 13 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days September: 9 wet days October: 10 wet days November: 9 wet days December: 10 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 53.1 in a year, most of it in December.

January: 12.2 in of snow February: 10.7 in of snow March: 8.6 in of snow April: 3.3 in of snow May: 0.5 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.9 in of snow November: 4.5 in of snow December: 12.4 in of snow 12.4 JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Rochester?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 11 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 4 muggy days July: 11 muggy days 11 August: 8 muggy days September: 2 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Rochester International Airport, 8.2 mi S of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.

January: 9.3 hours of daylight February: 10.5 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.5 hours of daylight May: 14.8 hours of daylight June: 15.4 hours of daylight 15.4 July: 15.1 hours of daylight August: 14.0 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.0 hours of daylight November: 9.7 hours of daylight December: 8.9 hours of daylight 8.9 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Rochester, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 23°F7°F 1.0 in9 12.2 in 0 9.3 h
February 27°F11°F 1.0 in8 10.7 in 0 10.5 h
March 40°F23°F 2.0 in10 8.6 in 0 11.9 h
April 55°F35°F 3.5 in12 3.3 in 0 13.5 h
May 68°F47°F 4.3 in13 0.5 in 0 14.8 h
June 78°F58°F 5.3 in13 0.0 in 4 15.4 h
July 80°F61°F 4.2 in11 0.0 in 11 15.1 h
August 78°F58°F 4.1 in10 0.0 in 8 14.0 h
September 72°F50°F 3.6 in9 0.0 in 2 12.5 h
October 58°F38°F 2.4 in10 0.9 in 0 11.0 h
November 42°F26°F 1.8 in9 4.5 in 0 9.7 h
December 28°F14°F 1.3 in10 12.4 in 0 8.9 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Rochester

By our comfort score, the best months are May, June and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 240330
Feb 280326
Mar 381518
Apr 57774
May 711481
Jun 701382
Jul 661072
Aug 681261
Sep 691560
Oct 54752
Nov 351415
Dec 240428

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Rochester

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 30, and the first fall frost around Oct 6, leaving 159 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Rochester
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 30after May 13
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 6before Sep 22
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 18after May 2
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 17before Oct 4
Frost-free season159 daysunder 140 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Rochester Intl Airport (USW00014925), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Minnesota.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 101°F (June 7, 2011); the lowest was -35°F (February 2, 1996).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Rochester

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Rochester Intl Airport (USW00014925), 8.2 mi S of the city center, 1,304 ft (280 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Rochester International Airport (726440-14925), 8.2 mi S of the city center, 1,305 ft (281 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error