Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Crookston has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 81°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 83° apart. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 11 to September 27.
A year in Crookston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Crookston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Crookston’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Crookston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Crookston Nw Exp Stn, MN, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Crookston’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −29°. 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 Red Lake Falls, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Crookston
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 Crookston Nw Exp Stn, MN.
Living with Crookston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Crookston from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Crookston and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Crookston in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Crookston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crookston, MN | −2° | 81° | 23" | 50" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Minot, ND | 2° | 82° | 17" | 52" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Rice Lake, WI | 3° | 80° | 33" | 53" |
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 Crookston averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Crookston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Crookston’s place among Minnesota’s.
Crookston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Crookston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Red Lake Falls, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16° | −2° | 0.6" | 10.1" | 8 | 31 | −7° – 23° |
| February | 21° | 2° | 0.5" | 8.6" | 6 | 27 | −1° – 27° |
| March | 35° | 16° | 0.8" | 7.8" | 7 | 21 | 15° – 39° |
| April | 53° | 31° | 1.3" | 3.8" | 8 | 5 | 32° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 54° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| July | 81° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| August | 80° | 55° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 47° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 54° | 34° | 2.0" | 1.5" | 9 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| November | 36° | 20° | 0.8" | 5.6" | 7 | 12 | 16° – 41° |
| December | 22° | 6° | 0.8" | 12.4" | 8 | 27 | 1° – 24° |
| Year | 51° | 30° | 22.8" | 49.9" | 105 | 123 |
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 23°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Crookston’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 Crookston’s center.
- Snow: Red Lake Falls, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Crookston Nw Exp Stn, MN, 3 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 Crookston’s climate
What is the weather like in Crookston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to −2°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 23 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Crookston in winter?
January nights average −2°. About 186 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 Crookston get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Red Lake Falls, MN, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 123 days a year.
How hot does it get in Crookston?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 58°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Crookston Nw Exp Stn, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Crookston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 138 frost-free days, at Crookston Nw Exp Stn, MN.
What growing zone is Crookston in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −29°.
What is the best time of year to visit Crookston?
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 Crookston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Crookston.
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.