Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Bigfork’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 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bigfork at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bigfork’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bigfork’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Bigfork feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 14 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Marcell 5ne, MN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bigfork’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −33°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Marcell 5ne, MN, falls mostly in January, November and 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 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bigfork
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 Marcell 5ne, MN.
Living with Bigfork’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 14 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bigfork from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (74%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bigfork and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bigfork yet.
Climates most like Bigfork’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bigfork, MN | −4° | 78° | 27" | 64" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Antigo, WI | 5° | 79° | 32" | 54" |
| 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 Bigfork averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in 91% 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 Bigfork compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bigfork’s place among Minnesota’s.
Bigfork weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bigfork’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Marcell 5ne, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | −4° | 0.8" | 14.1" | 10 | 31 | −7° – 22° |
| February | 24° | 0° | 0.7" | 10.0" | 8 | 28 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 14° | 1.1" | 7.7" | 8 | 26 | 15° – 39° |
| April | 52° | 27° | 1.8" | 5.2" | 9 | 6 | 32° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 78° | 55° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| August | 76° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| September | 67° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 34° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 11 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| November | 35° | 20° | 1.4" | 12.9" | 10 | 16 | 17° – 38° |
| December | 22° | 5° | 1.0" | 12.8" | 10 | 29 | 0° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 28° | 27.1" | 64.1" | 125 | 137 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -7° to 22°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Bigfork’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 Bigfork’s center.
- Snow: Marcell 5ne, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Marcell 5ne, 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 Bigfork’s climate
What is the weather like in Bigfork?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 14 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bigfork in winter?
January nights average −4°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 54 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −7°.
How much snow does Bigfork get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Marcell 5ne, MN, most of it in January, November and December, with snow on the ground about 137 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bigfork?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Marcell 5ne, MN.
When is the first and last frost in Bigfork?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 14 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 140 frost-free days, at Marcell 5ne, MN.
What growing zone is Bigfork in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bigfork?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bigfork getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bigfork.
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.