30-year climate normals

Otter Tail County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

78.6°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of -2.0°F.

Otter Tail County gets 28.17" of precipitation a year, and 44% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

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	17.4°	-2.0°	0.62"
February	23.4°	1.6°	0.62"
March	35.9°	15.1°	1.24"
April	51.6°	29.7°	2.23"
May	64.8°	44.2°	3.43"
June	74.5°	55.8°	4.76"
July	78.6°	60.2°	4.27"
August	77.3°	58.7°	3.29"
September	68.9°	49.0°	3.16"
October	53.8°	35.4°	2.69"
November	36.6°	21.3°	1.07"
December	23.4°	7.1°	0.79"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 44% falling in the wettest three months (May, Jun, Jul).

January 0.62"

February 0.62"

March 1.24"

April 2.23"

May 3.43"

June 4.76"

July 4.27"

August 3.29"

September 3.16"

October 2.69"

November 1.07"

December 0.79"

Annual total 28.17"

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 416

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 9,147

Approximate annual cooling cost At 16.95¢/kWh, Minnesota average $71

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $543

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 Otter Tail County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Otter Tail County?

Otter Tail County averages a high of 78.6°F in July and a low of -2.0°F in January. Annual precipitation is 28.17 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Otter Tail County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 44% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Otter Tail County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 78.6°F. That drives 416 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Otter Tail County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Otter Tail County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station OTTERTAIL, MN US (USC00216276), 8 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.