Rochester, MN Climate


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United States / Minnesota / Rochester Metro Area / Olmsted County / Rochester / Zip Codes
Rochester, MN has a humid continental climate that is typical of the Midwest region of the United States. Summers in the city are warm and humid, while winters are cold and snowy. Precipitation is plentiful in Rochester, with an average annual total of 29 inches, mostly falling throughout the spring and summer months. The city's highest temperature ever recorded was 105°F (41°C), while the lowest was -37°F (-38°C).

Rochester, Minnesota gets 34 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Rochester averages 48 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 180 sunny days per year in Rochester. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Rochester gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 109 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 82 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 5
Rain: averages 34 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 48 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Rochester is 6.5 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in Minnesota.

9.1 Summer - 3.7 Winter
August, June and July are the most pleasant months in Rochester, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

  ClimateRochester, MinnesotaUnited States
    Unlock38.1 in.
  48.1 in.  Unlock
    Unlock106.2 days
  180 days  Unlock
  82.0°85.8°
    Unlock21.7°
  6.5  Unlock
    Unlock4.3
  1024 ft.  Unlock
Climate
YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Rochester with an average high temperature of 82.0°, which ranks it as about average compared to other places in Minnesota. In Rochester, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Rochester are June, August and July.
In Rochester, there are 6.4 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Minnesota.
January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Rochester with an average of 4.8°. This is warmer than most places in Minnesota.
In Rochester, there are 165.5 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in Minnesota.
In Rochester, there are 30.9 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is about average compared to other places in Minnesota.
The humidity is usually comfortable in Rochester but some summer days can be muggy. July is the most humid month, though it is still relatively mild compared to many other places. The most humid months are July, August and June.
August is the wettest month in Rochester with 4.7 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 0.9 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 40% of yearly precipitation and 9% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 33.9 inches in Rochester means that it is one of the wettest places in Minnesota.
May is the rainiest month in Rochester with 11.4 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 6.4 rainy days. There are 108.7 rainy days annually in Rochester, which is rainier than most places in Minnesota. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 20% chance of a rainy day.
An annual snowfall of 48.1 inches in Rochester means that it is snowier than most places in Minnesota. December is the snowiest month in Rochester with 11.2 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.
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Tevon · Battlefield, MO
Not a city for the self sufficient law abiders
Over 4 years ago

Roch (and Minnesota) is a great place IF you live off the govt dole; subsidize undesirable things (through generous welfare benefits, lax law enforcement and sentences,  More

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Amy · Vancouver, WA
Bad for progressive thinkers and diversity
Over 5 years ago

Rochester is very vanilla. As a progressive, this place is not good. The area leans conservative and you'll see Trump signs everywhere... so that tells you the type of  More

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Jeri · Rochester, MN
Too cold for too long
Over 5 years ago

I moved here over 20 years ago from California and I was in shock for the first couple of years that people actually lived in such a cold climate! Winter starts around  More

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