Photo: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0Clarks Grove’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Clarks Grove at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clarks Grove’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clarks Grove’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Clarks Grove feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Albert Lea 3se, MN, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clarks Grove’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Albert Lea 3se, MN, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 111 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clarks Grove
92% 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 Albert Lea 3se, MN.
Living with Clarks Grove’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 9.
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 Clarks Grove from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clarks Grove and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Clarks Grove in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Clarks Grove’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarks Grove, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 40" |
| Grand Rapids, WI | 7° | 81° | 34" | 48" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Asbury, IA | 11° | 83° | 38" | 43" |
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 Clarks Grove averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Clarks Grove compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clarks Grove’s place among Minnesota’s.
Clarks Grove weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clarks Grove’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Albert Lea 3se, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 6° | 1.0" | 8.9" | 7 | 26 | 4° – 27° |
| February | 27° | 10° | 1.0" | 9.8" | 6 | 21 | 8° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 22° | 2.0" | 6.6" | 8 | 14 | 24° – 48° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 3.6" | 2.8" | 11 | 2 | 33° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 4.7" | 0.3" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 81° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 77° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 37° | 2.6" | 0.3" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| November | 42° | 25° | 1.7" | 2.7" | 7 | 4 | 24° – 46° |
| December | 28° | 13° | 1.3" | 8.1" | 7 | 18 | 6° – 29° |
| Year | 54° | 35° | 35.8" | 39.5" | 111 | 84 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Clarks Grove’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 Clarks Grove’s center.
- Snow: Albert Lea 3se, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Albert Lea 3se, MN, 11 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 Clarks Grove’s climate
What is the weather like in Clarks Grove?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clarks Grove in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 28 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Clarks Grove get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Albert Lea 3se, MN, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 84 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clarks Grove?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 61°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Albert Lea 3se, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Clarks Grove?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 164 frost-free days, at Albert Lea 3se, MN.
What growing zone is Clarks Grove in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clarks Grove?
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 Clarks Grove getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clarks Grove.
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.