LeMoine Building · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Willow Valley Township sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 78°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 2.1° rise. From June to September, highs of 67–78° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Willow Valley Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Willow Valley Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Willow Valley Township’s place in Minnesota beside it.
What a year in Willow Valley Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 104 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by June 1 and the first by September 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Celina 2e, MN, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Willow Valley Township’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −33°. 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 61 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cook 8ne, MN, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 157 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Willow Valley Township
99% 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 Celina 2e, MN.
Living with Willow Valley Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
104 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by Jun 1 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Willow Valley Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 44%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Willow Valley Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Willow Valley Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Willow Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Valley Township, MN | −4° | 78° | 27" | 61" |
| Grand Forks, ND | −2° | 81° | 22" | 49" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Antigo, WI | 5° | 79° | 32" | 54" |
| 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 Willow Valley Township averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+4.0°).
A bigger shift than in 92% 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 Willow Valley Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Willow Valley Township’s place among Minnesota’s.
Willow Valley Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Willow Valley Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cook 8ne, MN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17° | −4° | 0.9" | 12.7" | 13 | −6° – 21° |
| February | 23° | 0° | 0.7" | 8.5" | 9 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 13° | 1.0" | 6.0" | 10 | 14° – 39° |
| April | 52° | 27° | 1.8" | 4.7" | 11 | 31° – 47° |
| May | 65° | 39° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 15 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 17 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 78° | 54° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 14 | 59° – 71° |
| August | 76° | 52° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 58° – 68° |
| September | 67° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 49° – 61° |
| October | 52° | 33° | 2.6" | 3.6" | 16 | 35° – 47° |
| November | 35° | 19° | 1.5" | 10.3" | 12 | 16° – 38° |
| December | 22° | 4° | 1.1" | 15.1" | 13 | −1° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 28° | 27.0" | 61.2" | 157 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 28°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Willow Valley 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 Willow Valley Township’s center.
- Snow: Cook 8ne, MN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Celina 2e, MN, 6 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 Willow Valley Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Willow Valley Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 78°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 61 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 14 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Willow Valley Township in winter?
January nights average −4°. About 212 nights a year reach 32° or below and 57 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −6°.
How much snow does Willow Valley Township get?
About 61 inches in a normal winter at Cook 8ne, MN, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Willow Valley Township?
July, with a typical high of 78° and a low of 54°. About 1 days a year reach 90° (Celina 2e, MN).
When is the first and last frost in Willow Valley Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by June 1 and the first fall frost by September 15, about 104 frost-free days, at Celina 2e, MN.
What growing zone is Willow Valley Township in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Willow Valley Township?
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 Willow Valley Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Willow Valley 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.