Duluth and Iron Range Railroad Company Passenger Station · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Tower
July afternoons average 78°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. The outdoor season runs from June to September, with highs of 67–78°.
A year in Tower at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tower’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tower’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Tower feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
A freeze is possible in every month
About 220 nights a year fall to 32° or below, and 65 to 0° or below. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tower 2s, MN, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tower’s center in zone 3a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −37°. 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 69 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tower 2s, MN, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; July is the wettest month and February 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 Tower
98% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Tower 2s, MN.
Living with Tower’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 3a, and frost can come in any month. The longest frost-free stretch in half of years is about 89 days.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 2.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 55% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tower from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tower and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Tower in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Tower’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower, MN | −5° | 78° | 28" | 69" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Rhinelander, WI | 3° | 78° | 33" | 82" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
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 Tower averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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 Tower compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tower’s place among Minnesota’s.
Tower weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tower’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tower 2s, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16° | −5° | 0.9" | 13.4" | 7 | −7° – 20° |
| February | 24° | −2° | 0.8" | 10.8" | 7 | −2° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 12° | 1.0" | 7.9" | 6 | 12° – 38° |
| April | 51° | 25° | 1.9" | 8.0" | 8 | 30° – 46° |
| May | 65° | 38° | 3.0" | 0.4" | 12 | 46° – 57° |
| June | 74° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 57° – 67° |
| July | 78° | 53° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 59° – 70° |
| August | 76° | 51° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 58° – 67° |
| September | 67° | 43° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 48° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 32° | 2.7" | 2.4" | 10 | 34° – 47° |
| November | 35° | 19° | 1.6" | 11.0" | 9 | 16° – 37° |
| December | 22° | 4° | 1.2" | 14.8" | 8 | −2° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 27° | 27.9" | 68.7" | 116 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -2° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Tower’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 Tower’s center.
- Snow: Tower 2s, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tower 2s, MN, 2.4 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 Tower’s climate
What is the weather like in Tower?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −5°, and about 69 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 12 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tower in winter?
January nights average −5°. About 220 nights a year reach 32° or below and 65 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −7°.
How much snow does Tower get?
About 69 inches in a normal winter at Tower 2s, MN, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Tower?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 53°. About 4 days a year reach 90° (Tower 2s, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Tower?
There is no reliable frost-free season: at Tower 2s, MN, every month has nights at 32° or below, about 220 a year. In half of years the longest stretch without a freeze is about 89 days.
What growing zone is Tower in?
Zone 3a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −37°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tower?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tower getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tower.
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.