Live forecast for Minneapolis, MN — updated in real time. Check today's temperature, UV index, hourly breakdown, and 14-day outlook.
Minneapolis routinely ranks as the coldest major metropolitan area in the United States, and its humid continental climate produces a genuinely extreme spread between seasons. Far from any ocean, deep in the northern continental interior, the Twin Cities swing from subzero winters to hot, humid summers — a range of well over 100°F (56°C) between record cold and record heat.
Winter is the defining season. From December through February, highs struggle to reach the low-to-mid 20s°F (around −5°C), and overnight lows routinely fall below 0°F (−18°C), with wind chills far colder. Snow blankets the ground for months. The cold is so central to life that downtown is laced with the enclosed elevated "Skyway" system, letting people cross the city without going outside.
Summer is short but genuinely hot and humid, with July highs in the low 80s°F (around 28°C) and occasional severe thunderstorms rolling across the prairie. The land of 10,000 lakes comes alive, as residents pack a few warm months with as much outdoor life as possible.
The metro averages about 31 inches (790 mm) of precipitation a year, including over 50 inches (130 cm) of snow. Spring and fall are brief, beautiful, and fleeting transitions between the two extremes.
Minneapolis is one of the coldest major metros in the US, with a genuinely severe continental climate — January lows regularly dive below 0°F (-18°C), and the Twin Cities can spend weeks locked in Arctic air with dangerous wind chills.
Yet summers are a full reversal: warm, humid, and thunderstorm-prone, with July highs near 84°F (29°C) and the region's northern edge of Tornado Alley in play. The huge annual temperature range — from -20°F (-29°C) to 100°F (38°C) — is among the widest of any US city, and the many lakes add humidity and lake-breeze effects.
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