Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Plato
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 82°. Winter and summer sit 77° apart. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 85% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 24, with the first autumn frost due around October 15.
A year in Plato at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Plato’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Plato’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Plato feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gaylord, MN, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Plato’s 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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Brownton Wwtp, MN, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Plato
92% 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 Gaylord, MN.
Living with Plato’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 15.
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 Plato from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Plato and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Plato yet.
Climates most like Plato’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plato, MN | 5° | 82° | 30" | 50" |
| Waupaca, WI | 8° | 82° | 32" | 49" |
| Sioux Falls, SD | 8° | 84° | 28" | 49" |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 9° | 83° | 34" | 39" |
| Iron Mountain, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Plato averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 55% 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 Plato compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Plato’s place among Minnesota’s.
Plato weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Plato’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Brownton Wwtp, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 5° | 0.7" | 6.9" | 5 | 26 | 2° – 27° |
| February | 27° | 10° | 0.8" | 11.8" | 5 | 23 | 7° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 22° | 1.5" | 7.6" | 6 | 15 | 23° – 46° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.8" | 7.0" | 9 | 4 | 34° – 54° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 51° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 38° | 2.4" | 0.8" | 8 | 1 | 41° – 52° |
| November | 41° | 25° | 1.5" | 3.6" | 5 | 4 | 23° – 45° |
| December | 28° | 12° | 1.0" | 12.2" | 6 | 20 | 6° – 27° |
| Year | 54° | 35° | 30.4" | 50.0" | 90 | 92 |
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 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Plato’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 Plato’s center.
- Snow: Brownton Wwtp, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gaylord, MN, 17 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 Plato’s climate
What is the weather like in Plato?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Plato in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 161 nights a year reach 32° or below and 30 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Plato get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Brownton Wwtp, MN, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 92 days a year.
How hot does it get in Plato?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Gaylord, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Plato?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 170 frost-free days, at Gaylord, MN.
What growing zone is Plato 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 Plato?
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 Plato getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Plato.
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.