Wilkin County Courthouse · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Breckenridge
July afternoons average 82°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.6° above 1901–2000. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 69–82°.
A year in Breckenridge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Breckenridge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Breckenridge’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Breckenridge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Breckenridge 3e, MN, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Breckenridge’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −26°. 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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rothsay, MN, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Breckenridge
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Breckenridge 3e, MN.
Living with Breckenridge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 4 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 39% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Breckenridge from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Breckenridge and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Breckenridge in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Breckenridge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breckenridge, MN | 1° | 82° | 25" | 50" |
| Madison, SD | 6° | 83° | 27" | 37" |
| Bismarck, ND | 3° | 84° | 18" | 51" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Spirit Lake, IA | 7° | 83° | 31" | 42" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Breckenridge averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Breckenridge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Breckenridge’s place among Minnesota’s.
Breckenridge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Breckenridge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rothsay, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 1° | 0.7" | 11.4" | 6 | −4° – 25° |
| February | 25° | 5° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 6 | 2° – 27° |
| March | 38° | 19° | 1.1" | 7.2" | 6 | 18° – 42° |
| April | 55° | 32° | 1.9" | 4.1" | 7 | 33° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 57° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 36° | 2.4" | 1.6" | 9 | 38° – 52° |
| November | 39° | 22° | 0.8" | 6.9" | 5 | 18° – 42° |
| December | 25° | 8° | 0.8" | 10.7" | 7 | 2° – 25° |
| Year | 53° | 32° | 24.5" | 49.6" | 93 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -4° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Breckenridge’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 Breckenridge’s center.
- Snow: Rothsay, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Breckenridge 3e, MN, 4 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 Breckenridge’s climate
What is the weather like in Breckenridge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 60 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Breckenridge in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 43 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −4°.
How much snow does Breckenridge get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Rothsay, MN, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Breckenridge?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Breckenridge 3e, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Breckenridge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 152 frost-free days, at Breckenridge 3e, MN.
What growing zone is Breckenridge in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Breckenridge?
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 Breckenridge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Breckenridge.
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.