Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY-SA 4.0Esko sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
High summer brings afternoon highs near 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from June to September, with highs of 67–78°.
A year in Esko at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Esko’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Esko’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Esko feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 118 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 26 and the first by September 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cloquet, MN, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Esko’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 71 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cloquet, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 129 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Esko
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cloquet, MN.
Living with Esko’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
118 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 26 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 50% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Esko from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Esko and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Esko yet.
Climates most like Esko’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esko, MN | 1° | 78° | 31" | 71" |
| Rhinelander, WI | 3° | 78° | 33" | 82" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Beekmantown, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 80" |
| Presque Isle, ME | 2° | 77° | 41" | 98" |
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 Esko averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.8°).
A bigger shift than in 86% 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 Esko compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Esko’s place among Minnesota’s.
Esko weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Esko’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cloquet, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 1° | 0.9" | 13.5" | 10 | 31 | −3° – 24° |
| February | 25° | 4° | 0.9" | 13.5" | 8 | 29 | 4° – 29° |
| March | 37° | 16° | 1.4" | 10.3" | 9 | 27 | 18° – 39° |
| April | 50° | 28° | 2.5" | 6.4" | 10 | 8 | 32° – 46° |
| May | 63° | 39° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| June | 72° | 48° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 64° |
| July | 78° | 55° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| August | 76° | 53° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| September | 67° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 53° | 34° | 3.0" | 1.8" | 12 | 1 | 37° – 48° |
| November | 37° | 21° | 1.7" | 9.6" | 10 | 14 | 20° – 39° |
| December | 24° | 9° | 1.3" | 15.9" | 11 | 28 | 4° – 26° |
| Year | 50° | 30° | 30.5" | 71.3" | 129 | 138 |
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 24°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Esko’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 Esko’s center.
- Snow: Cloquet, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cloquet, MN, 7 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 Esko’s climate
What is the weather like in Esko?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 71 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 65 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Esko in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 41 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −3°.
How much snow does Esko get?
About 71 inches in a normal winter at Cloquet, MN, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 138 days a year.
How hot does it get in Esko?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 55°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Cloquet, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Esko?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 26 and the first fall frost by September 23, about 118 frost-free days, at Cloquet, MN.
What growing zone is Esko in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Esko?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Esko getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Esko.
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.