Photo: davumaya · CC BY-SA 2.0Burnsville has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 82°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 83% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.4° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 23, with the first autumn frost due around October 18.
A year in Burnsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Burnsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Burnsville’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Burnsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, 9 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Burnsville’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Farmington 3 Nw, MN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Burnsville
90% 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 Minneapolis/st Paul Airport.
Living with Burnsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 21 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Burnsville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Burnsville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Burnsville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Burnsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnsville, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 41" |
| Saratoga, WI | 7° | 82° | 34" | 48" |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 9° | 83° | 34" | 39" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Harrisburg, SD | 8° | 84° | 29" | 49" |
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 Burnsville averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.4°).
A bigger shift than in 51% 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 Burnsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Burnsville’s place among Minnesota’s.
Burnsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Burnsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Farmington 3 Nw, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 7° | 0.8" | 10.5" | 6 | 3° – 27° |
| February | 28° | 11° | 0.8" | 6.4" | 5 | 7° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.7" | 8.0" | 6 | 24° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.8" | 8 | 35° – 54° |
| May | 68° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 58° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 7 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 1.6" | 7.0" | 6 | 24° – 45° |
| December | 28° | 14° | 1.1" | 7.0" | 6 | 7° – 30° |
| Year | 55° | 37° | 32.6" | 41.0" | 94 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 3° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Burnsville’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 Burnsville’s center.
- Snow: Farmington 3 Nw, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, 9 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Burnsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Burnsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Burnsville in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Burnsville get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Farmington 3 Nw, MN, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Burnsville?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 63°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Minneapolis/st Paul Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Burnsville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 176 frost-free days, at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport.
What growing zone is Burnsville in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Burnsville?
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 Burnsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Burnsville.
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.