Fort Snelling National Cemetery · Photo: Kozarrj · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Mendota
July afternoons average 83°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 76°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 83% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to September, with highs of 69–83°.
A year in Mendota at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mendota’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mendota’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Mendota feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mendota’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 119 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mendota
90% 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 Minneapolis/st Paul Airport.
Living with Mendota’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mendota from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mendota and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Mendota in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Mendota’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendota, MN | 7° | 83° | 33" | 51" |
| 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 Mendota averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 59% 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 Mendota compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mendota’s place among Minnesota’s.
Mendota weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mendota’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Minneapolis/st Paul Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 7° | 0.8" | 11.0" | 10 | 26 | 3° – 28° |
| February | 28° | 11° | 0.8" | 9.5" | 8 | 22 | 7° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.6" | 8.2" | 9 | 13 | 24° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 36° | 2.9" | 3.5" | 11 | 2 | 36° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 79° |
| August | 80° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 53° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.7" | 0.8" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 1.6" | 6.8" | 8 | 6 | 24° – 45° |
| December | 28° | 14° | 1.1" | 11.4" | 10 | 21 | 7° – 30° |
| Year | 55° | 37° | 32.5" | 51.2" | 119 | 90 |
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 28°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Mendota’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 Mendota’s center.
- Snow: Minneapolis/st Paul Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, 3 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 Mendota’s climate
What is the weather like in Mendota?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mendota in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Mendota get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 90 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mendota?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 63°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Minneapolis/st Paul Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Mendota?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 176 frost-free days, at Minneapolis/st Paul Airport.
What growing zone is Mendota in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Mendota?
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 Mendota getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Mendota.
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.