Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Hilltop
High summer brings afternoon highs near 82°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 84% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.6°, most of all in January. Central heating does most of its work from October to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Hilltop at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hilltop’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hilltop’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Hilltop 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, 5 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hilltop’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 Hilltop
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 Hilltop’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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hilltop from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hilltop and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hilltop yet.
Climates most like Hilltop’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltop, 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 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 Hilltop averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Hilltop compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hilltop’s place among Minnesota’s.
Hilltop weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hilltop’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 | 7° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.6" | 9.0" | 9 | 17 | 23° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 5.1" | 11 | 3 | 35° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 78° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.8" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 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 Hilltop’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 Hilltop’s center.
- Snow: New Hope, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lower St Anthony Falls, MN, 5 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Hilltop’s climate
What is the weather like in Hilltop?
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 Hilltop 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 Hilltop 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 Hilltop?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 63°. About 18 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Lower St Anthony Falls, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Hilltop?
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 Hilltop 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 Hilltop?
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 Hilltop getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hilltop.
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.