Whitewater State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources · Photo: Jonathunder · CC BY-SA 3.0Elba Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 82°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 84% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Elba Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Elba Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Elba Township’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Elba Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minnesota City Dam 5, MN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Elba Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Altura 5w, MN, falls mostly in February and December. 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 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Elba Township
91% 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 Minnesota City Dam 5, MN.
Living with Elba Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 12 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Elba Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Elba Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Elba Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Elba Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elba Township, MN | 7° | 82° | 36" | 45" |
| Beaver Dam, WI | 10° | 82° | 35" | 43" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 9° | 83° | 34" | 39" |
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 Elba Township averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Elba Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Elba Township’s place among Minnesota’s.
Elba Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Elba Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Altura 5w, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 7° | 1.1" | 8.6" | 8 | 26 | 4° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 10° | 1.1" | 11.0" | 7 | 27 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 2.0" | 8.2" | 8 | 17 | 24° – 48° |
| April | 56° | 34° | 3.7" | 2.9" | 11 | 2 | 35° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 4.6" | 0.6" | 14 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 72° | 51° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| October | 58° | 38° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 42° | 26° | 1.8" | 2.2" | 7 | 3 | 25° – 46° |
| December | 29° | 14° | 1.3" | 11.0" | 8 | 20 | 7° – 32° |
| Year | 55° | 35° | 36.2" | 44.9" | 116 | 95 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Elba Township’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 Elba Township’s center.
- Snow: Altura 5w, MN (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minnesota City Dam 5, MN, 11 miles from the town’s center, 400 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 Elba Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Elba Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Elba Township in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 140 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Elba Township get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Altura 5w, MN, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 95 days a year.
How hot does it get in Elba Township?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Minnesota City Dam 5, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Elba Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 175 frost-free days, at Minnesota City Dam 5, MN.
What growing zone is Elba Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Elba Township?
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 Elba Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Elba Township.
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.