ROCHESTER, MN

Overview:
Rochester, Minnesota is the third most populous city in the state, and the city lies in the Zumbro River Valley, running along the banks of the river’s south fork. The surrounding terrain is rolling, and the elevation ranges from 1,000 to 1,300 feet above sea level.

Like much of the state of Minnesota, the climate in Rochester is characterized by dramatic temperature shifts from the summer to winter seasons. Average temperatures range from below 16°F in January to above 71°F in July. The city sees on average 30 inches of rainfall and 48 inches of snowfall per year. Rochester has also been reported as the second windiest city in the U.S., with wind speeds averaging over 12 mph. Rolling terrain and the occurrence of thunderstorms make the area susceptible to flash floods in the spring.

State/ Province ID: MN

Station ID: W00014925

Directory Name: ROCHESTER_INTL_AP__MN_W00014925

Elevation: 397.50m

The resources presented here were developed in cooperation with the Office of the Michigan State Climatologist using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. For more information regarding our data sources, quality control, and methodology, please see our Historical Climatologies: Quality Control reference guide.

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Recent Climate Summary, 1991-2020


Average Temperature	45.0°F7.2°C
Average Low Temperature	35.9°F2.2°C
Average High Temperature	54.0°12.2°C
Days/Year that exceed 90°F	3.4
Days/Year that fall below 32°F	148.8
Lowest Annual Average Temperature	40.9°F5.0°C
Highest Annual Average Temperature	50.3°F10.1°C
Average Annual Total Precipitation	34.7 in88.1 cm
Lowest Annual Precipitation Total	23.4 in59.4 cm
Highest Annual Precipitation Total	55.2 in140.3 cm
Days/Year that exceed 1.25" of Precipitation	4.7

Temperature

Click on the following links to be taken to the corresponding portion of the page.

Monthly Average Temperature
How Temperatures are Changing
- Changes in Average Temperature – Includes a summary table of the average annual and seasonal temperature changes, and time series graphs of how the annual low, average, and high temperatures compare to the long term average plotted for every year on record.
- Cold Temperatures – View time series plots of the number of days per year below 32°F and the number of heating degree days per year to see how cold days are changing.
- Hot Temperatures – View time series plots of the number of days per year above 90°F and the number of cooling degree days per year to see how hot days are changing.
- Growing Season Changes – View a time series of the annual number of days in the freeze-free period.

Monthly Average Temperature

Changes in Average Temperature, 1951-2025.


	°F°C
Annual average temperature	2.71.5
Winter average temperature	3.82.1
Spring average temperature	3.52.0
Summer average temperature	1.00.6
Fall average temperature	2.61.5

Annual High and Low Temperature Departure

Cold Temperatures

¹Heating Degree Days (HDDs) are indexed units, not actual days, that roughly describe the demand to heat a building. HDDs accumulate on days colder than 65°F when heating is required. Every degree below 65°F is added to the annual total for an annual HDD value, which is plotted in the figure.

Hot Temperatures

²Cooling Degree Days (CDDs) are indexed units, not actual days, that roughly describe the demand to cool a building. CDDs accumulate on days warmer than 65°F when cooling is required. Every degree above 65°F is added to the annual total for an annual CDD value, which is plotted in the figure.

Growing Season Changes

Precipitation