Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Oak Park Heights sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 82°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 82% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.5° rise. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Oak Park Heights at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oak Park Heights’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oak Park Heights’ place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Oak Park Heights feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stillwater 1 Se, MN, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oak Park Heights’ center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at U Of Mn St Paul, MN, falls mostly in February. 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 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oak Park Heights
88% 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 Stillwater 1 Se, MN.
Living with Oak Park Heights’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 4.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oak Park Heights from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oak Park Heights and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Oak Park Heights in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Oak Park Heights’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Park Heights, MN | 6° | 82° | 33" | 40" |
| Estherville, IA | 7° | 82° | 31" | 38" |
| Saratoga, WI | 7° | 82° | 34" | 48" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Brookings, SD | 5° | 82° | 27" | 36" |
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 Oak Park Heights averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Oak Park Heights compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oak Park Heights’ place among Minnesota’s.
Oak Park Heights weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oak Park Heights’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from U Of Mn St Paul, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 6° | 0.8" | 8.3" | 7 | 20 | 4° – 27° |
| February | 28° | 10° | 0.8" | 12.3" | 6 | 16 | 6° – 31° |
| March | 41° | 22° | 1.6" | 4.0" | 9 | 9 | 23° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 2.1" | 10 | 2 | 35° – 53° |
| May | 68° | 47° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 2.8" | 0.5" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 54° |
| November | 41° | 26° | 1.7" | 3.0" | 7 | 3 | 24° – 46° |
| December | 28° | 13° | 1.2" | 10.2" | 8 | 12 | 8° – 30° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 33.0" | 40.4" | 116 | 62 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Oak Park Heights’ 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 Oak Park Heights’ center.
- Snow: U Of Mn St Paul, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stillwater 1 Se, MN, 0.9 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Oak Park Heights’ climate
What is the weather like in Oak Park Heights?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oak Park Heights in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Oak Park Heights get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at U Of Mn St Paul, MN, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 62 days a year.
How hot does it get in Oak Park Heights?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Stillwater 1 Se, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Oak Park Heights?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 178 frost-free days, at Stillwater 1 Se, MN.
What growing zone is Oak Park Heights in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Oak Park Heights?
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 Oak Park Heights getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Oak Park Heights.
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.