Climate
Faribault Climate
The Faribault Co-op station A National Weather Service station kept by a volunteer, who reads temperature and precipitation at home or work. National Weather Service glossary's record high is 110°, on July 14, 1936, and its record low -40°, on Jan. 9, 1977 (co-op record, 1895-2011).
Today in context
7-day updated 2:15 a.m.
Normal for Nov. 3: high 49, low 29 (Faribault co-op, NOAA 1991-2020). Today's forecast high is 10° above.
Co-op record for the date: high 74° in 1978, low 10° in 1991 (co-op record, 1895-2011).
The co-op station's temperatures end June 27, 2011, when its temperature equipment was removed (NOAA's station history); its rain and snow reports go on. The records and the counts of hot days, cold nights and freezes here stop there.
Current through Dec. 31, 2020
July is the warmest month, with a normal high of 82°, and January the coldest, with a normal low of 5°; June brings the most precipitation (5.57 in.) and February the most snow (10.6 in.).
Normal: The 30-year average for a date or month, from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals for 1991 to 2020. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- 0s
- 10s
- 20s
- 30s
- 40s
- 50s
- 60s
- 70s
- 80s
- record high to record low (co-op record, 1895-2011)
Bars: normal high and low, °F, colored by their temperature; gray behind them: the month's record high to record low (co-op record, 1895-2011). Blue: normal precipitation, inches.
| Month | High | Low | Precip., in. | Snow, in. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 5° | 0.97 | 9.4 |
| February | 28° | 8° | 1.00 | 10.6 |
| March | 40° | 20° | 1.92 | 6.4 |
| April | 56° | 33° | 3.13 | 1.6 |
| May | 68° | 45° | 4.37 | 0.2 |
| June | 78° | 57° | 5.57 | 0.0 |
| July | 82° | 61° | 4.64 | 0.0 |
| August | 80° | 58° | 4.66 | 0.0 |
| September | 73° | 50° | 3.68 | 0.0 |
| October | 59° | 36° | 2.60 | 0.1 |
| November this month | 42° | 24° | 1.67 | 4.9 |
| December | 29° | 13° | 1.24 | 10.1 |
| Year | 55° | 34° | 35.45 | 43.3 |
Current through Dec. 31, 2020
From NOAA's 1981-2010 normals to its 1991-2020 normals, December's normal low rose the most, 2.6°, and the year's normal precipitation went from 32.63 in. to 35.45 in.
Each bar: the change in the month's normal, °F; red warmer, blue cooler.
NCEI filled this station's 1991-2020 temperatures after mid-2011 with estimates from nearby stations.
| Month | High, 1981-2010 | High, 1991-2020 | Low, 1981-2010 | Low, 1991-2020 | Precip., in., 1981-2010 | Precip., in., 1991-2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23.5° | 23.2° | 4.1° | 4.8° | 0.94 | 0.97 |
| February | 28.6° | 28.0° | 8.0° | 7.9° | 0.77 | 1.00 |
| March | 40.4° | 40.4° | 20.3° | 20.4° | 1.98 | 1.92 |
| April | 56.7° | 55.5° | 33.2° | 32.9° | 2.87 | 3.13 |
| May | 68.7° | 68.2° | 44.9° | 45.2° | 3.82 | 4.37 |
| June | 78.3° | 78.4° | 55.8° | 57.2° | 4.39 | 5.57 |
| July | 82.3° | 82.0° | 60.1° | 60.6° | 4.26 | 4.64 |
| August | 79.9° | 79.9° | 57.4° | 57.9° | 4.73 | 4.66 |
| September | 71.9° | 72.7° | 47.8° | 49.7° | 3.44 | 3.68 |
| October | 58.9° | 58.9° | 35.4° | 35.7° | 2.39 | 2.60 |
| November | 41.7° | 42.4° | 23.2° | 23.8° | 1.86 | 1.67 |
| December | 27.4° | 28.9° | 10.0° | 12.6° | 1.18 | 1.24 |
Current through Dec. 31, 2020
In half of years the last freeze of spring comes by May 5 and the first of fall by Oct. 5.
| Typical | Earliest | Latest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last 32° in spring (freeze) | May 5 | April 10, 1985 | May 31, 1897 |
| First 32° in fall (freeze) | Oct. 5 | Sept. 3, 1974 | Oct. 27, 1941 |
| Last 28° in spring (hard freeze) | April 26 | March 28, 1941 | May 26, 1904 |
| First 28° in fall (hard freeze) | Oct. 13 | Sept. 9, 2000 | Nov. 7, 1900 |
Typical is the median (half of years earlier, half later), NOAA 1991-2020. Earliest and latest come from the station's daily lows, 1895 to 2011, over the 96 years with a complete record.
Each tick is one year's last (or first) low of 32° or colder; darker where years pile up. Typical is NOAA's 1991-2020 date.
Days from the last 32° low of spring to the first of fall at the co-op station, the 93 years with both counted, 1900 to 2009; gray ticks are years not counted.
Current through June 27, 2011
July holds the record high, 110° in 1936, and January the record low, -40° in 1977 (co-op record, 1895-2011).
| Month | Record high | Year | Record low | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 1944 | -40° | 1977 |
| February | 65° | 1981 | -36° | 1996 |
| March | 81° | 1907 (also 1910, 1986) | -30° | 1948 |
| April | 93° | 1980 | 0° | 1982 |
| May | 108° | 1934 | 16° | 2006 |
| June | 106° | 1934 | 33° | 1897 (also 1901, 1915) and others |
| July | 110° | 1936 | 36° | 2001 |
| August | 105° | 1936 | 33° | 2005 |
| September | 102° | 1931 | 23° | 1908 (also 1945) |
| October | 92° | 1997 | 4° | 1925 |
| November | 79° | 1933 | -15° | 1977 |
| December | 69° | 1923 | -36° | 1983 |
Each calendar date's record high and low (co-op record, 1895-2011, the ones home's normals bar shows), in the decade of the year that holds it; a tie goes to the latest year. A decade with fewer years on record (the count beside it) holds fewer.
Current through June 27, 2011
The co-op station averaged 15.9 days a year at 90° or hotter, 1897 to 2009, and 29.8 nights a winter below zero, 1900-01 to 2009-10; 1931 had the most hot days, 51, and 1977-78 the most cold nights, 56.
A summer is May through September and a winter November through March, each placed at the year it starts. Each counts only with no more than 7 of its days unreported; gray ticks are the ones that don't. The co-op's temperatures end in 2011, so its counts end with its last complete summer and winter (co-op record, 1895-2011).
At the Faribault airport (KFBL), a different station
The airport's own series, never joined to the co-op's: it stands about 2.5 miles from the co-op's site, and its day is midnight to midnight standard time. It averaged 6.6 days a year at 90° or hotter, 1993 to 2024, and 25.5 nights a winter below zero, 1992-93 to 2022-23. 34 readings are left out by its quality rule (how it works).
The airport's days with 18 or more hours of reports; a summer or winter counts with no more than 7 of its days unreported or dropped.
Current through Oct. 23
Summer brings the most precipitation, 14.87 in. in a normal year, and winter the least, 3.21 in. (NOAA 1991-2020); the wettest year on record was 2019, with 50.55 in.
| Season | Normal, in. | Wettest, in. | Driest, in. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Dec.-Feb. | 3.21 | 6.962022-23 | 0.651957-58 |
| Spring March-May | 9.42 | 14.751991 | 1.381934 |
| Summer June-Aug. | 14.87 | 27.412024 | 3.071920 |
| Fall Sept.-Nov. | 7.95 | 15.772016 | 0.811952 |
Normal: NOAA 1991-2020. Wettest and driest: the co-op station's daily record, each season with all three months finished and no more than 3 days unreported; winter is December through February.
Wettest years
- 50.55 in. 2019 (every day reported)
- 47.22 in. 2016 (1 day unreported)
- 46.17 in. 2024 (every day reported)
Driest years
- 10.81 in. 1910 (every day reported)
- 14.27 in. 1923 (every day reported)
- 16.28 in. 1939 (every day reported)
From the co-op station's daily precipitation, 1890 to 2025: 94 of its 136 years rank, each with no more than 7 days unreported (the ones it has are stated).
Current through June 30
The snowiest of the 85 complete seasons was 1935-36, with 80.2 in.; the least snowy, 2023-24, had 10.3 in.
43.3 in. in a normal season (1991-2020).
Snowiest winters
- 80.2 in. 1935-36
- 76.7 in. 1950-51
- 76.0 in. 1970-71
Least snowy winters
- 10.3 in. 2023-24
- 15.3 in. 1933-34
- 18.5 in. 1957-58
From the station's daily snowfall, 85 seasons from 1897-98 to 2025-26 (July through June) with no more than a week unreported from November through March.
- under 30 in.
- 30 to 40 in.
- 40 to 50 in.
- 50 to 60 in.
- 60 in. or more
- not complete
Normal snowfall by month, inches, NOAA 1991-2020, in snow-season order: July through June.
Updated 3:03 a.m.
59 tornado warnings for Rice County since 1987; the 39 full years from 1987 to 2025 average 1.4 a year, the most 7 in 2021.
From the storm log.
One mark for each warning, at the day it was issued; warnings on the same day stack.
So far in 2026: 3 tornado warnings, more than in 32 of those 39 years; 14 of them had none.
Thunderstorm days and winter storm days in an average month, 2007 to 2025: the storm log's two strips, counted by the same rules. A day can be in both. The storm log shows each year.
Updated Oct. 22, 7:01 p.m.
The record on this page comes from one co-op station, at the sewage treatment plant, 1 mile north of the post office.
- Station
- Faribault co-op, USC00212721 (co-op 212721) (ACIS)
- Where
- The sewage treatment plant, 1 mile north of the post office (NOAA station history)
- Location
- 44.3092° N, 93.2660° W (ACIS)
- Elevation
- 970 ft (ACIS)
- Daily reading
- 7 a.m. (NOAA station history)
- Temperatures
- Dec. 1, 1895 to June 27, 2011, none from Oct. 18, 1960, through July 31, 1969 (ACIS)
- Precipitation
- since Oct. 1, 1890 (ACIS)
- Snowfall
- since Dec. 1, 1895 (ACIS)
- Snow depth
- since Jan. 1, 1900 (ACIS)
- Moved
- 3 miles north-northeast on Aug. 1, 1969 (NOAA station history)
- Temperature equipment
- removed June 28, 2011 (NOAA station history)
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals (station USC00212721): the normals, the typical freeze dates and the normal season's snow.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1981-2010 U.S. Climate Normals (the same station): the older normals.
- The station's daily record from the Applied Climate Information System (ACIS): the records, the hot days and cold nights, the freezes, the precipitation, the snow seasons and the station's years.
- NOAA's station history (HOMR): where the station stands, its moves and why its temperatures end.
- National Weather Service warnings and storm reports through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, by way of the storm log: the tornado warnings and storm days.
See all sources.