ARTICHOKE LAKE, MN

Overview:
Artichoke Lake is a shallow, medium-sized lake located roughly 15 miles east of Ortonville, Minnesota on the western side of the state. The lake is located in the Pomme de Terre River watershed and is largely surrounded by wetlands and agricultural land, with minimal development. Recreational activities such as waterfowl hunting and fishing on the lake are common. The lake is one of 25 lakes in the Sentinel Lakes program, a long-term ecosystem monitoring program led by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The climate in the region is humid continental, with well-defined seasons and large shifts in temperature from summer to winter. The western region typically experiences the hottest summer temperatures in the state of Minnesota. The Coteau des Prairies, a plateau extending from eastern South Dakota to southwestern Minnesota, plays a significant role in the regional climate. Winds blowing down the slope of the plateau compress and warm the air, leading to warmer temperatures than other surrounding areas.

State/ Province ID: MN

Station ID: C00210287

Directory Name: ARTICHOKE_LAKE_1_E__MN_C00210287

Elevation: 333.10m

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 Temperature44.0°F6.6°C
Average Low Temperature35.0°F1.6°C
Average High Temperature53.0°11.6°C
Days/Year that exceed 90°F4.5 
Days/Year that fall below 32°F152.4 
Lowest Annual Average Temperature40.4°F4.7°C
Highest Annual Average Temperature47.1°F8.4°C
Average Annual Total Precipitation26.1 in66.3 cm
Lowest Annual Precipitation Total15.3 in38.9 cm
Highest Annual Precipitation Total34.4 in87.3 cm
Days/Year that exceed 1.25" of Precipitation3.4 

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 temperature1.70.9
Winter average temperature3.82.1
Spring average temperature2.21.2
Summer average temperature-0.2-0.1
Fall average temperature1.40.8

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

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

  • Monthly Average Precipitation – View a graph of the monthly low, average, and high precipitation climatology (average) of the past 30 years
  • How Precipitation is Changing
    • Changes in Total Precipitation – Includes a summary table of the average annual and seasonal precipitation changes.
    • Heavy Precipitation – View a bar chart of how annual number of days receiving more than 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2 inches of precipitation are changing over the period of record.

Monthly Average Precipitation

Changes in Average Precipitation, 1951-2025.

 in.cm.%
Annual total precipitation5.113.022.00
Winter total precipitation0.92.242.90
Spring total precipitation1.02.615.80
Summer total precipitation0.20.62.40
Fall total precipitation2.35.948.40

Heavy Precipitation