Photo: Joseph Gage from Yorkville, IL, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Sanborn
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 83°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.0°, most of all in January. From May to September, highs of 70–83° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Sanborn at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sanborn’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sanborn’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Sanborn feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 152 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sanborn’s center in zone 5a: 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 46 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN, falls mostly in January 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 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sanborn
93% 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 Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN.
Living with Sanborn’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
152 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 3 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 2.
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 Sanborn from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sanborn and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sanborn in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sanborn’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanborn, MN | 6° | 83° | 30" | 46" |
| Waupaca, WI | 8° | 82° | 32" | 49" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Denison, IA | 10° | 84° | 34" | 35" |
| Wahpeton, ND | 1° | 82° | 25" | 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 Sanborn averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Sanborn compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sanborn’s place among Minnesota’s.
Sanborn weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sanborn’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 6° | 0.7" | 8.9" | 6 | 25 | 3° – 28° |
| February | 28° | 10° | 0.8" | 8.4" | 6 | 21 | 6° – 32° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.5" | 7.9" | 7 | 14 | 22° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 34° | 2.9" | 4.9" | 10 | 3 | 33° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 61° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 50° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 37° | 2.3" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 54° |
| November | 42° | 24° | 1.4" | 5.9" | 6 | 6 | 22° – 46° |
| December | 29° | 12° | 0.9" | 9.4" | 7 | 19 | 5° – 28° |
| Year | 55° | 35° | 29.9" | 46.3" | 106 | 89 |
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 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Sanborn’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 Sanborn’s center.
- Snow: Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, 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 Sanborn’s climate
What is the weather like in Sanborn?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sanborn in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 169 nights a year reach 32° or below and 33 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Sanborn get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 89 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sanborn?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 61°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Sanborn?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 152 frost-free days, at Lamberton Sw Rsch & Outreach C, MN.
What growing zone is Sanborn in?
Zone 5a 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 Sanborn?
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 Sanborn getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sanborn.
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.