The record book

2026 so far

Through Oct 12 at the Grand Marais cooperative weather station (NWS COOP 213282): 17.59 inches of rain against 20.73 normal to date, 58.4 inches of snow against 33.6, and 6,763 heating degree days against 6,800.12 days are missing from the year's record.

The year against normal

2026, day by day 1991 to 2020 normal Move across the chart for the day's numbers.

Month by month

Month	Mean high	Normal	Mean low	Normal	Rain	Normal	Snow	Normal
January	18°	21°	3°	6°	1.08	0.99	13.7	15.6
February	29°	25°	11°	8°	1.62	0.72	27.1	8.7
March	33°	33°	17°	18°	1.34	0.95	11.7	6.0
April	43°	44°	29°	29°	4.78	1.84	5.9	3.3
May	53°	53°	36°	37°	1.58	2.61	0.0	0.0
June	61°	61°	43°	44°	1.82	3.55	0.0	0.0
July	69°	69°	48°	52°	2.31	3.39	0.0	0.0
August	69°	70°	54°	54°	1.65	2.56	0.0	0.0
September	60°	62°	49°	47°	1.05	2.83	none reported	0.0
October, so far	61°	50°	44°	36°	0.36	3.04	none reported	0.1

Normals are the 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the station. "None reported" is a month whose column is empty in the record, which is not the same as zero.

The seasons

Frost

May 21 to ...

The last frost this spring was May 21, 31°; the first of the fall has not come. Last year it came Oct 24. Median first frost: Sep 30; median last spring frost: May 16. Earliest first frost on record: Sep 13, 1975; latest: Oct 24, 2025.

Definition: A day with a low at or below 32 F at the cooperative station; the last such day before August 1 is the spring's, the first on or after August 1 the fall's. The medians and the earliest and latest count only years the record has in full from March through November. Days missing from this year's record: 12.

Growing season

144 days so far

Last year's ran May 19 to Oct 24, 157 days. This year's began May 21 and is 144 days long so far. The longest on record: 172 days, 2024; the shortest: 64 days, 1947. Median: 137 days over 54 seasons.

Definition: The days between the last spring frost and the first fall frost, counting neither frost day; the longest, shortest and median count only years the record has in full from March through November. Days missing from this year's record: 12.

Snow season

0.0 in

No measurable snow yet in 2026-27, since Jul 1. Deepest on the ground: 0.0 inches on Jul 1. Normal to date: 0.0 in. Median first measurable snow: Nov 13; the earliest, Sep 26, 1942. Last season, 2025-26: 68.4 inches, deepest 19.0 inches on the ground on Feb 19. The record season: 111.4 inches, 1938-39.

Definition: From July 1 to June 30, named for the year it begins in; the first measurable snow is the first day with 0.1 inch or more, and the depth is the snow on the ground the station measured that morning. The record season is the most snow measured in any season; the median first snow counts only seasons the record has in full from September through April. Days missing from this year's record: 12.

Ice on the lake

Not yet

Last winter, 2025-26: first ice Dec 7; the last day with ice May 3; the most, 62% on Mar 2. Median first ice over 54 winters: Dec 15; median last ice: Apr 30.

Definition: The first and last day NOAA GLERL's daily analysis shows lake-wide cover of 1 percent or more, and the peak; the harbor itself is not measured. A winter is named for the year it begins in.

Warmest day of the year

83° so far

On Jul 2. The hottest day on record is 100°, Aug 7, 1930. The median hottest day of a year is 86° over 43 years.

Definition: The highest high in the calendar year at the cooperative station; the median counts only years the record has in full. Days missing from this year's record: 12.

Coldest day of the year

-24° so far

On Jan 23. The coldest on record is -34°, Jan 23, 1935. The median coldest morning of a year is -23° over 43 years.

Definition: The lowest low in the calendar year at the cooperative station; the median counts only years the record has in full. Days missing from this year's record: 12.

All six trackers: Grand Marais cooperative weather station (NWS COOP 213282), NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily; ice from NOAA GLERL. A tracker says how many days of the year are missing from the record before it states a total.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: GHCN-Daily and the U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020.