Rochester climate — normals and trends
Rochester (United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.1 °C and it receives 864 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 (-9.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Rochester averages 149 frost days, 14 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 110 rainy days per year.
Rochester has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.24 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 157 to 141 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.1 °C (on 16 August 1988) and the coldest -35.9 °C (on 30 January 1951).
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
RochesterMinnesota
- coords
- 44.02°, -92.47°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.1°C
Average daily high
11.8°C
Average daily low
2.4°C
Annual rainfall
864mm
Sunshine / day
8.7h
Mean relative humidity
72%
Average peak wind
20.2km/h
Seasonal range
31.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
149 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
14 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
110 d/yr
Annual snowfall
96.7 cm
Average feels-like high
9.3 °C
Average feels-like low
-1.0 °C
Average peak gust
40.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
14 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.32 · 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
38.1 °C
16 August 1988
Coldest day
-35.9 °C
30 January 1951
Wettest day
84 mm
27 August 2021
Windiest day
67.3 km/h
10 October 1949
Strongest gust
128.5 km/h
10 October 1949
Hottest feels-like
43.3 °C
6 July 1948
Coldest feels-like
-41.8 °C
2 February 1996
Snowiest day
28.1 cm
2 May 2013
Sunniest day
14.9 h
19 June 2025
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 | -4.1 °C | +1.6 °C | 4 mm | -25 mm |
| Feb | -3.2 °C | -0.3 °C | 17 mm | -11 mm |
| Mar | 9.9 °C | +6.1 °C | 99 mm | +36 mm |
| Apr | 13.7 °C | +1.2 °C | 108 mm | +17 mm |
| May | 20.0 °C | +0.7 °C | 65 mm | -44 mm |
| Jun | 25.5 °C | +0.9 °C | 143 mm | +26 mm |
| Jul | 27.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 117 mm | +23 mm |
| Aug | 25.1 °C | -0.5 °C | 162 mm | +62 mm |
| Sep | 23.4 °C | +2.2 °C | 76 mm | -10 mm |
| Oct | 16.4 °C | +2.0 °C | 40 mm | -22 mm |
| Nov | 7.1 °C | +2.2 °C | 58 mm | +8 mm |
| Dec | -2.9 °C | -0.1 °C | 40 mm | +4 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 Rochester?
Rochester has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.1 °C and it receives 864 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Rochester?
The hottest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 16 August 1988, reaching 38.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Rochester?
The coldest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 30 January 1951, at -35.9 °C.
Does it snow in Rochester?
Yes. Rochester gets on average 96.7 cm of snow per year and has around 149 frost days.
Has the climate of Rochester warmed?
Yes: Rochester warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Rochester?
The wettest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 27 August 2021, with 84 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Rochester?
The windiest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 10 October 1949, with winds reaching 67.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Rochester?
The warmest month in Rochester is July (21.9 °C on average); the coldest is January (-9.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Rochester?
Rochester receives on average 864 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 110 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Rochester?
Rochester gets on average 8.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,175 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Rochester?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 2 May 2013, with 28.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Rochester?
Yes: Rochester has on average 14 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Rochester?
In Rochester, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.3 °C on 6 July 1948, and the lowest was -41.8 °C on 2 February 1996.
Compare Rochester with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Rochester