#32 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Minneapolis, MN?
In 2024, 43% of daytime hours in Minneapolis were enjoyable outdoors: 2,046 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #32 of 35 major US cities. September was the best month and December the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 43%
- Comfortable temp
- 52%
- Too cold
- 44%
- Too hot
- 4%
- Lost to rain
- 2.0%
- Lost to gusts
- 6.7%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6% | 6% | 94% | 0% | 0.0% | 23°F |
| February | 17% | 17% | 83% | 0% | 0.0% | 34°F |
| March | 24% | 26% | 74% | 0% | 0.0% | 39°F |
| April | 31% | 43% | 57% | 0% | 0.8% | 51°F |
| May | 70% | 91% | 9% | 0% | 4.2% | 65°F |
| June | 64% | 94% | 1% | 6% | 8.2% | 72°F |
| July | 67% | 74% | 0% | 26% | 2.5% | 77°F |
| August | 76% | 88% | 0% | 11% | 5.5% | 74°F |
| September | 83% | 93% | 1% | 6% | 1.5% | 72°F |
| October | 59% | 68% | 32% | 0% | 0.5% | 58°F |
| November | 17% | 18% | 82% | 0% | 0.8% | 39°F |
| December | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0.0% | 25°F |
What limits outdoor time
Cold costs Minneapolis more hours than heat does: 44% of daytime hours were too cold, 4% too hot. Wind matters too: gusts took 6.7% of daytime hours.
Where you stand matters here. Of the comfortable hours, 18% were only comfortable in the sun and 28% only in the shade.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 4°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 6°F cooler in summer. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Minneapolis, MN compares
- San Antonio, TX · #29 · 45%
- Fort Worth, TX · #30 · 44%
- Dallas, TX · #31 · 44%
- Houston, TX · #33 · 43%
- Austin, TX · #34 · 42%
- Oklahoma City, OK · #35 · 42%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Minneapolis, MN get?
2,046 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 43% of daytime hours, about 157 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #32 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Minneapolis, MN?
September, when 83% of daytime hours were enjoyable. August (76%) and May (70%) came next. December was the worst month, at 0%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Minneapolis, MN?
Mostly temperature. 44% of daytime hours were too cold and 4% too hot. Rain took another 2.0%, and gusty wind 6.7%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.