Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Big Falls
Midsummer highs settle at about 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 24 to September 20.
A year in Big Falls at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Big Falls’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Big Falls’ place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Big Falls feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 117 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Big Falls, MN, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Big Falls’ 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 55 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Littlefork 10 Sw, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 137 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Big Falls
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Big Falls, MN.
Living with Big Falls’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
117 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 24 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 5.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Big Falls from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (67%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Big Falls and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Big Falls yet.
Climates most like Big Falls’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Falls, MN | −5° | 78° | 27" | 55" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Antigo, WI | 5° | 79° | 32" | 54" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| 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 Big Falls averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Big Falls compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Big Falls’ place among Minnesota’s.
Big Falls weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Big Falls’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Littlefork 10 Sw, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16° | −5° | 0.9" | 10.6" | 11 | 31 | −8° – 20° |
| February | 22° | −2° | 0.7" | 6.5" | 9 | 28 | −2° – 28° |
| March | 36° | 13° | 1.1" | 8.2" | 9 | 24 | 14° – 39° |
| April | 51° | 27° | 1.7" | 5.1" | 10 | 7 | 31° – 48° |
| May | 64° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 73° | 50° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 78° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| September | 67° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 33° | 2.6" | 2.1" | 14 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 35° | 19° | 1.4" | 10.0" | 10 | 13 | 15° – 38° |
| December | 21° | 4° | 1.1" | 11.9" | 12 | 29 | −3° – 23° |
| Year | 49° | 27° | 26.7" | 54.5" | 137 | 134 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -2° to 28°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Big Falls’ 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 Big Falls’ center.
- Snow: Littlefork 10 Sw, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Big Falls, MN, 1.3 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 Big Falls’ climate
What is the weather like in Big Falls?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −5°, and about 55 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 11 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Big Falls in winter?
January nights average −5°. About 196 nights a year reach 32° or below and 56 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −8°.
How much snow does Big Falls get?
About 55 inches in a normal winter at Littlefork 10 Sw, MN, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 134 days a year.
How hot does it get in Big Falls?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 54°. About 3 days a year reach 90° (Big Falls, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Big Falls?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 117 frost-free days, at Big Falls, MN.
What growing zone is Big Falls 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 Big Falls?
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 Big Falls getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Big Falls.
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.