Banfill Tavern · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Fridley has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 82°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 84% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.6° higher. Tender plants can go out after about April 23; in half of years the first frost comes by October 16.
A year in Fridley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fridley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fridley’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Fridley 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 Lower St Anthony Falls, MN, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fridley’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 54 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at New Hope, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fridley
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 Lower St Anthony Falls, MN.
Living with Fridley’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. 7.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fridley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (65%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fridley and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fridley in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fridley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fridley, MN | 6° | 82° | 32" | 54" |
| Waupaca, WI | 8° | 82° | 32" | 49" |
| Spencer, IA | 7° | 84° | 31" | 43" |
| Harrisburg, SD | 8° | 84° | 29" | 49" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
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 Fridley averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Fridley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fridley’s place among Minnesota’s.
Fridley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fridley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from New Hope, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 6° | 0.7" | 10.1" | 10 | 29 | 2° – 28° |
| February | 28° | 10° | 0.8" | 10.1" | 8 | 26 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.6" | 9.0" | 9 | 17 | 23° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 5.1" | 11 | 3 | 35° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.8" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 41° | 25° | 1.6" | 6.9" | 8 | 7 | 24° – 45° |
| December | 28° | 13° | 1.0" | 12.3" | 10 | 22 | 6° – 29° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 31.9" | 54.3" | 121 | 104 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 2° to 28°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Fridley’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 Fridley’s center.
- Snow: New Hope, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lower St Anthony Falls, MN, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Fridley’s climate
What is the weather like in Fridley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 54 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fridley in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Fridley get?
About 54 inches in a normal winter at New Hope, MN, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 104 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fridley?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 18 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Lower St Anthony Falls, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Fridley?
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 Lower St Anthony Falls, MN.
What growing zone is Fridley 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 Fridley?
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 Fridley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fridley.
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.