Cascade River Wayside · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Grand Marais sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
High summer brings afternoon highs near 73°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 71° apart. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than almost every U.S. town. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 20 to October 5.
A year in Grand Marais at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grand Marais’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grand Marais’ place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Grand Marais feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grand Marais, MN, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grand Marais’ center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −21°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Grand Marais, MN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grand Marais
99% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from September 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 Grand Marais, MN.
Living with Grand Marais’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 20 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 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 3.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 41% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grand Marais from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grand Marais and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Grand Marais yet.
Climates most like Grand Marais’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Marais, MN | 3° | 73° | 29" | 51" |
| Gladstone, MI | 11° | 76° | 31" | 47" |
| Antigo, WI | 5° | 79° | 32" | 54" |
| Anchorage, AK | 6° | 67° | 23" | 59" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 80° | 34" | 50" |
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 Grand Marais averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 50% 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 Grand Marais compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grand Marais’ place among Minnesota’s.
Grand Marais weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grand Marais’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grand Marais, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 3° | 1.1" | 15.6" | 7 | 28 | −1° – 23° |
| February | 24° | 3° | 1.1" | 8.7" | 5 | 28 | 0° – 26° |
| March | 34° | 13° | 1.3" | 6.0" | 5 | 26 | 14° – 34° |
| April | 46° | 25° | 2.3" | 3.3" | 7 | 9 | 29° – 43° |
| May | 59° | 37° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 52° |
| June | 68° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| July | 73° | 52° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| August | 71° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 65° |
| September | 64° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| October | 50° | 33° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 36° – 46° |
| November | 35° | 21° | 2.1" | 3.8" | 7 | 6 | 19° – 37° |
| December | 24° | 9° | 1.6" | 13.4" | 7 | 21 | 5° – 25° |
| Year | 47° | 28° | 29.4" | 50.9" | 97 | 119 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 26°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Grand Marais’ 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 Grand Marais’ center.
- Snow: Grand Marais, MN (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grand Marais, MN, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, 160 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 Grand Marais’ climate
What is the weather like in Grand Marais?
A typical July afternoon reaches 73°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 93 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than all but 141 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grand Marais in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 31 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does Grand Marais get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Grand Marais, MN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 119 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grand Marais?
July, with a typical high of 73°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Grand Marais, MN.
When is the first and last frost in Grand Marais?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 137 frost-free days, at Grand Marais, MN.
What growing zone is Grand Marais in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −21°.
What is the best time of year to visit Grand Marais?
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 Grand Marais getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grand Marais.
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.