Moorhead climate — normals and trends
Moorhead (United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 5.7 °C and it receives 662 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (21.9 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-13.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Moorhead averages 164 frost days, 21 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 93 rainy days per year.
Moorhead has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.4 °C (on 5 July 1988) and the coldest -39.5 °C (on 15 January 1972).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
MoorheadMinnesota
- coords
- 46.87°, -96.77°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
5.7°C
Average daily high
10.9°C
Average daily low
0.6°C
Annual rainfall
662mm
Sunshine / day
9.0h
Mean relative humidity
70%
Average peak wind
19.7km/h
Seasonal range
34.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
164 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
21 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
93 d/yr
Annual snowfall
79.7 cm
Average feels-like high
8.0 °C
Average feels-like low
-3.0 °C
Average peak gust
38.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
9 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.18 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.4 °C
5 July 1988
Coldest day
-39.5 °C
15 January 1972
Wettest day
92 mm
7 July 1962
Windiest day
61.2 km/h
7 June 1954
Strongest gust
112.3 km/h
7 June 1954
Hottest feels-like
42.2 °C
5 July 1948
Coldest feels-like
-44.6 °C
15 January 1972
Snowiest day
26.6 cm
28 March 1940
Sunniest day
15.0 h
22 May 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -7.1 °C | +1.2 °C | 14 mm | -6 mm |
| Feb | -6.7 °C | -1.4 °C | 11 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 7.2 °C | +5.2 °C | 12 mm | -24 mm |
| Apr | 12.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 94 mm | +33 mm |
| May | 21.9 °C | +2.4 °C | 92 mm | +4 mm |
| Jun | 24.9 °C | +0.3 °C | 87 mm | -15 mm |
| Jul | 27.2 °C | -0.3 °C | 92 mm | +8 mm |
| Aug | 25.8 °C | -0.6 °C | 118 mm | +38 mm |
| Sep | 23.6 °C | +2.7 °C | 72 mm | +4 mm |
| Oct | 16.2 °C | +2.7 °C | 30 mm | -22 mm |
| Nov | 5.7 °C | +2.9 °C | 21 mm | -8 mm |
| Dec | -4.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 35 mm | +11 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Moorhead?
Moorhead has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 5.7 °C and it receives 662 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Moorhead?
The hottest day measured in Moorhead between 1940 and 2025 was 5 July 1988, reaching 39.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Moorhead?
The coldest day measured in Moorhead between 1940 and 2025 was 15 January 1972, at -39.5 °C.
Does it snow in Moorhead?
Yes. Moorhead gets on average 79.7 cm of snow per year and has around 164 frost days.
Has the climate of Moorhead warmed?
Yes: Moorhead warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Moorhead?
The wettest day measured in Moorhead between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1962, with 92 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Moorhead?
The windiest day measured in Moorhead between 1940 and 2025 was 7 June 1954, with winds reaching 61.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Moorhead?
The warmest month in Moorhead is July (21.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (-13.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Moorhead?
Moorhead receives on average 662 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 93 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Moorhead?
Moorhead gets on average 9.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,285 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Moorhead?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Moorhead between 1940 and 2025 was 28 March 1940, with 26.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Moorhead?
Yes: Moorhead has on average 9 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Moorhead?
In Moorhead, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.2 °C on 5 July 1948, and the lowest was -44.6 °C on 15 January 1972.
Compare Moorhead with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Moorhead