Vernon Township sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs October to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Vernon Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vernon Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vernon Township’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Vernon Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rochester International Airport, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vernon Township’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 53 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rochester International Airport, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vernon Township
94% 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 Rochester International Airport.
Living with Vernon Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 6.
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 Vernon Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vernon Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Vernon Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Vernon Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Township, MN | 6° | 81° | 36" | 53" |
| Hull, WI | 7° | 81° | 33" | 49" |
| Peru, NY | 9° | 80° | 35" | 50" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Littleton, NH | 6° | 80° | 40" | 68" |
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 Vernon Township averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+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 Vernon Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vernon Township’s place among Minnesota’s.
Vernon Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vernon Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rochester International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 6° | 1.0" | 12.2" | 9 | 25 | 4° – 27° |
| February | 27° | 10° | 1.0" | 10.7" | 8 | 23 | 6° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 22° | 2.0" | 8.6" | 10 | 14 | 23° – 48° |
| April | 55° | 34° | 3.6" | 3.3" | 12 | 2 | 34° – 52° |
| May | 68° | 46° | 4.7" | 0.5" | 13 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| July | 81° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 57° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 49° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 36° | 2.6" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 53° |
| November | 41° | 25° | 1.8" | 4.5" | 9 | 5 | 24° – 45° |
| December | 28° | 13° | 1.3" | 12.4" | 10 | 20 | 6° – 30° |
| Year | 54° | 34° | 35.9" | 53.1" | 124 | 89 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 48°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Vernon Township’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 Vernon Township’s center.
- Snow: Rochester International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rochester International Airport, 12 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 Vernon Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Vernon Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vernon Township in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 156 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Vernon Township get?
About 53 inches in a normal winter at Rochester International Airport, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 89 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vernon Township?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 60°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Rochester International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Vernon Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 159 frost-free days, at Rochester International Airport.
What growing zone is Vernon Township 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 Vernon Township?
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 Vernon Township 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 Vernon Township.
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.