Buckman sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 81°. A year here swings 79° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 89% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from October to April, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Buckman at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Buckman’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Buckman’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Buckman 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 10 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rice, MN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Buckman’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 53 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Little Falls 2nne, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Buckman
96% 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 Rice, MN.
Living with Buckman’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Buckman from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Buckman and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Buckman yet.
Climates most like Buckman’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckman, MN | 2° | 81° | 29" | 53" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Merrill, WI | 5° | 80° | 33" | 54" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Spirit Lake, IA | 7° | 83° | 31" | 42" |
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 Buckman averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 82% 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 Buckman compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Buckman’s place among Minnesota’s.
Buckman weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Buckman’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Little Falls 2nne, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 2° | 0.7" | 9.5" | 5 | −1° – 25° |
| February | 26° | 6° | 0.8" | 9.7" | 4 | 4° – 30° |
| March | 39° | 19° | 1.4" | 8.5" | 6 | 20° – 43° |
| April | 54° | 32° | 2.4" | 4.1" | 8 | 33° – 52° |
| May | 67° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 55° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 61° – 69° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 63° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 72° |
| September | 70° | 49° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 52° – 65° |
| October | 55° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.9" | 8 | 38° – 51° |
| November | 39° | 23° | 1.3" | 8.2" | 5 | 22° – 42° |
| December | 25° | 10° | 0.9" | 11.9" | 5 | 4° – 26° |
| Year | 53° | 33° | 29.4" | 52.8" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -1° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Buckman’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 Buckman’s center.
- Snow: Little Falls 2nne, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rice, MN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Buckman’s climate
What is the weather like in Buckman?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 85 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Buckman in winter?
January nights average 2°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 45 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Buckman get?
About 53 inches in a normal winter at Little Falls 2nne, MN, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Buckman?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Rice, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Buckman?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 140 frost-free days, at Rice, MN.
What growing zone is Buckman 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 Buckman?
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 Buckman getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Buckman.
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.