Church of St. Stephen-Catholic · Photo: Chipcity · CC BY-SA 3.0St. Stephen has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 81° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in June and the lightest in January. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 87% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 10, with the first autumn frost due around September 29.
A year in St. Stephen at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about St. Stephen’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with St. Stephen’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in St. Stephen feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 140 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rice, MN, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts St. Stephen’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 57 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Collegeville St John's, MN, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in St. Stephen
96% 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 Rice, MN.
Living with St. Stephen’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
140 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 10 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 29.
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 St. Stephen from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (64%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →St. Stephen and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around St. Stephen yet.
Climates most like St. Stephen’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stephen, MN | 3° | 81° | 29" | 57" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Lafayette, WI | 5° | 81° | 33" | 55" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Spirit Lake, IA | 7° | 83° | 31" | 42" |
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 St. Stephen averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 70% 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 St. Stephen compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with St. Stephen’s place among Minnesota’s.
St. Stephen weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at St. Stephen’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Collegeville St John's, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 3° | 0.7" | 11.2" | 7 | 29 | −1° – 25° |
| February | 26° | 7° | 0.8" | 10.2" | 6 | 26 | 4° – 30° |
| March | 39° | 20° | 1.5" | 10.1" | 8 | 17 | 20° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 33° | 2.5" | 6.6" | 9 | 4 | 33° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 77° | 56° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| September | 71° | 49° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| October | 56° | 37° | 2.7" | 0.7" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 51° |
| November | 39° | 23° | 1.4" | 8.0" | 7 | 8 | 22° – 42° |
| December | 26° | 10° | 0.9" | 10.5" | 7 | 22 | 4° – 26° |
| Year | 53° | 33° | 29.2" | 57.4" | 103 | 106 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -1° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where St. Stephen’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 St. Stephen’s center.
- Snow: Collegeville St John's, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rice, MN, 5 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 St. Stephen’s climate
What is the weather like in St. Stephen?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 57 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 104 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in St. Stephen in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 45 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −1°.
How much snow does St. Stephen get?
About 57 inches in a normal winter at Collegeville St John's, MN, most of it in January, February, March and December, with snow on the ground about 106 days a year.
How hot does it get in St. Stephen?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Rice, MN).
When is the first and last frost in St. Stephen?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 140 frost-free days, at Rice, MN.
What growing zone is St. Stephen in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit St. Stephen?
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 St. Stephen getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in St. Stephen.
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.