30-year climate normals

Dakota County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

81.3°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 3.3°F.

Dakota County gets 34.12" of precipitation a year, and 41% of it falls in Jun, Jul, Aug.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	22.2°	3.3°	0.96"
February	27.0°	6.9°	0.90"
March	39.9°	20.4°	1.80"
April	55.8°	33.7°	3.10"
May	67.8°	46.6°	4.32"
June	77.3°	57.1°	4.88"
July	81.3°	60.9°	4.51"
August	79.0°	58.4°	4.43"
September	72.2°	50.1°	3.44"
October	58.6°	36.9°	2.86"
November	41.5°	23.4°	1.71"
December	27.7°	10.8°	1.21"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 41% falling in the wettest three months (Jun, Jul, Aug).

January 0.96"

February 0.90"

March 1.80"

April 3.10"

May 4.32"

June 4.88"

July 4.51"

August 4.43"

September 3.44"

October 2.86"

November 1.71"

December 1.21"

Annual total 34.12"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 551

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 8,121

Approximate annual cooling cost At 16.95¢/kWh, Minnesota average $93

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $482

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Dakota County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Dakota County?

Dakota County averages a high of 81.3°F in July and a low of 3.3°F in January. Annual precipitation is 34.12 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Dakota County?

The wettest stretch is Jun, Jul, Aug, which accounts for 41% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Dakota County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 81.3°F. That drives 551 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Dakota County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Dakota County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station ROSEMOUNT RSCH & OUTREACH CTR, MN US (USC00217107), 3.6 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Minnesota residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.