Winona and St. Peter Freight Depot · Photo: Jatakuck · CC BY-SA 3.0Sleepy Eye’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sleepy Eye at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sleepy Eye’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sleepy Eye’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Sleepy Eye feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 161 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at New Ulm 2 Se, MN, 12 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sleepy Eye’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 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at New Ulm 2 Se, MN, falls mostly in 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 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sleepy Eye
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 New Ulm 2 Se, MN.
Living with Sleepy Eye’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
161 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 48% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sleepy Eye from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sleepy Eye and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sleepy Eye yet.
Climates most like Sleepy Eye’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepy Eye, MN | 6° | 82° | 30" | 38" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Carroll, IA | 10° | 84° | 34" | 35" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Wayne, NE | 11° | 85° | 29" | 32" |
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 Sleepy Eye averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Sleepy Eye compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sleepy Eye’s place among Minnesota’s.
Sleepy Eye weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sleepy Eye’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from New Ulm 2 Se, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 6° | 0.7" | 7.8" | 7 | 26 | 2° – 27° |
| February | 28° | 10° | 0.8" | 6.9" | 6 | 20 | 7° – 32° |
| March | 40° | 23° | 1.6" | 6.0" | 8 | 11 | 23° – 47° |
| April | 56° | 35° | 2.9" | 1.5" | 9 | 1 | 33° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 58° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 38° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 42° | 25° | 1.4" | 6.5" | 6 | 6 | 23° – 46° |
| December | 28° | 12° | 0.9" | 9.0" | 8 | 18 | 5° – 28° |
| Year | 55° | 35° | 30.4" | 38.3" | 101 | 82 |
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 9°.
Where Sleepy Eye’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 Sleepy Eye’s center.
- Snow: New Ulm 2 Se, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: New Ulm 2 Se, MN, 12 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Sleepy Eye’s climate
What is the weather like in Sleepy Eye?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 38 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 Sleepy Eye in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 27 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 2°.
How much snow does Sleepy Eye get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at New Ulm 2 Se, MN, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 82 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sleepy Eye?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (New Ulm 2 Se, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Sleepy Eye?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 161 frost-free days, at New Ulm 2 Se, MN.
What growing zone is Sleepy Eye 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 Sleepy Eye?
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 Sleepy Eye getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sleepy Eye.
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.