Photo: Bjoertvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0Aurora’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 69 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Aurora at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Aurora’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Aurora’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Aurora feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 223 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 67 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Embarrass, MN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Aurora’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −35°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 69 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tower 2s, MN, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Aurora
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Embarrass, MN.
Living with Aurora’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 3b, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 83 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 7.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 75% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Aurora from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Aurora and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Aurora yet.
Climates most like Aurora’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, MN | −4° | 78° | 28" | 69" |
| Rhinelander, WI | 3° | 78° | 33" | 82" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Aurora averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.1°).
A bigger shift than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Aurora compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Aurora’s place among Minnesota’s.
Aurora weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Aurora’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tower 2s, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | −4° | 0.9" | 13.4" | 7 | −6° – 20° |
| February | 23° | −1° | 0.8" | 10.8" | 7 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 12° | 1.1" | 7.9" | 6 | 14° – 38° |
| April | 51° | 26° | 1.9" | 8.0" | 8 | 30° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 3.0" | 0.4" | 12 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 74° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 56° – 66° |
| July | 78° | 53° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 59° – 70° |
| August | 76° | 51° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 57° – 67° |
| September | 67° | 43° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 48° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 32° | 2.7" | 2.4" | 10 | 34° – 46° |
| November | 35° | 19° | 1.5" | 11.0" | 9 | 16° – 37° |
| December | 22° | 4° | 1.1" | 14.8" | 8 | 0° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 27° | 28.1" | 68.7" | 116 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Aurora’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Aurora’s center.
- Snow: Tower 2s, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Embarrass, MN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Aurora’s climate
What is the weather like in Aurora?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 69 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 13 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Aurora in winter?
January nights average −4°. About 223 nights a year reach 32° or below and 67 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −6°.
How much snow does Aurora get?
About 69 inches in a normal winter at Tower 2s, MN, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Aurora?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 53°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Embarrass, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Aurora?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Embarrass, MN, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 223 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 83 days.
What growing zone is Aurora in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −35°.
What is the best time of year to visit Aurora?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Aurora getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Aurora.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.