Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Grattan Township
July afternoons average 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.9° rise. Garden planting can start around May 16; autumn frost returns near September 26.
A year in Grattan Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grattan Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grattan Township’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Grattan Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 131 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Northome 3s, MN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grattan Township’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −33°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
About 64 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Marcell 5ne, MN, falls mostly in January, November and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 125 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grattan Township
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 Northome 3s, MN.
Living with Grattan Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
131 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 16 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 5.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grattan Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grattan Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Grattan Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Grattan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grattan Township, MN | −4° | 78° | 27" | 64" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Rhinelander, WI | 3° | 78° | 33" | 82" |
| Wahpeton, ND | 1° | 82° | 25" | 50" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
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 Grattan Township averaged 1.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A bigger shift than in 83% 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 Grattan Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grattan Township’s place among Minnesota’s.
Grattan Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grattan Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Marcell 5ne, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | −4° | 0.8" | 14.1" | 10 | 31 | −7° – 22° |
| February | 23° | −1° | 0.7" | 10.0" | 8 | 28 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 14° | 1.1" | 7.7" | 8 | 26 | 14° – 38° |
| April | 51° | 27° | 1.8" | 5.2" | 9 | 6 | 31° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| June | 73° | 50° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 78° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 53° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| September | 67° | 44° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 33° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 11 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 35° | 19° | 1.3" | 12.9" | 10 | 16 | 16° – 39° |
| December | 22° | 4° | 1.0" | 12.8" | 10 | 29 | −1° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 28° | 26.5" | 64.1" | 125 | 137 |
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 28°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Grattan 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 Grattan Township’s center.
- Snow: Marcell 5ne, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Northome 3s, MN, 9 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 Grattan Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Grattan Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 64 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 14 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grattan Township in winter?
January nights average −4°. About 195 nights a year reach 32° or below and 58 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −7°.
How much snow does Grattan Township get?
About 64 inches in a normal winter at Marcell 5ne, MN, most of it in January, November and December, with snow on the ground about 137 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grattan Township?
July, with a typical high of 78°. 90° days are rare: none in a normal year at Northome 3s, MN.
When is the first and last frost in Grattan Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 131 frost-free days, at Northome 3s, MN.
What growing zone is Grattan Township in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Grattan Township?
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 Grattan Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grattan 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.