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Minneapolis sits on the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota, on the northern plains far from any moderating ocean at approximately 44.98°N, 93.27°W. Its deep continental position gives it a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa/Dfb) — with warm, humid summers and long, bitterly cold winters — and one of the widest temperature ranges of any major American city.
Summer, from June to August, is warm to hot and humid, with July the warmest month — average highs around 29°C — and it is the wettest season, when most of the year's rain falls in afternoon and evening thunderstorms, some severe enough to produce hail or tornadoes. The lakes and long days make it a brief, treasured season.
Winter, from December to March, is long and bitterly cold, with January the coldest month — average highs around -5°C and lows near -14°C, and cold snaps driven by Arctic air that can plunge below -30°C. Snow lies for months, the lakes freeze solid enough to drive on, and the city's famous skyway system connects downtown buildings above the frozen streets.
Minneapolis receives around 800–850 mm of precipitation a year, with a strong summer maximum from thunderstorms while winter precipitation is light and dry; the city receives around 130 cm of snow in an average winter, which lies for months in the deep cold. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Minneapolis endures a temperature range of over 60°C across the year, from Arctic outbreaks below -30°C to humid summer afternoons above 35°C — among the widest of any major American city. The frozen lakes become winter roads and fishing grounds, and the downtown skyways exist precisely because the cold is severe enough to make the streets impassable.
To follow any single measurement in Minneapolis more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.