Madelia, Minnesota Weather
Prairie lightning bugs rise. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Madelia weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 4Heavy Rain27%0.34″84°66°—
- FridayJun 5Overcast32%—84°66°0°
- SaturdayJun 6Mostly Clear15%—83°61°-1°
- SundayJun 7Drizzle34%—86°64°+3°
- MondayJun 8Showers49%0.25″74°68°-12°
- TuesdayJun 9Overcast28%—83°68°+9°
- WednesdayJun 10Thunderstorm17%—97°69°+14°
Ozone at AQI 40. AQI down 22 over the last 6 hours — air quality is improving sharply. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~100%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 40. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~100%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 40
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 9
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 5:01 AM
- Moonset
- 2:07 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Prairie lightning bugs rise
Madelia at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 5°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 10 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 4, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Madelia
SPC has placed Madelia in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Madelia's warmest month is July (~72°F mean) and its coldest is January (~14°F). Rainfall peaks in June (4.9 inches) and bottoms out in February (0.8 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14° | 1.1″ | 2 |
| February | 19° | 0.8″ | 2 |
| March | 31° | 1.8″ | 3 |
| April | 45° | 3.1″ | 6 |
| May | 58° | 4.7″ | 9 |
| June | 69° | 4.9″ | 9 |
| July | 72° | 4.1″ | 7 |
| August | 70° | 4.0″ | 6 |
| September | 62° | 3.4″ | 5 |
| October | 49° | 2.5″ | 5 |
| November | 34° | 1.6″ | 3 |
| December | 21° | 1.1″ | 4 |
Regional context
Madelia's climate, per the NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals from the nearest reporting station, runs cold-winter and warm-summer. January means hover near 14°F while July climbs to 72°F — a 58°F seasonal swing typical of northern-tier latitudes. Annual precipitation totals about 33.1 inches spread across roughly 59 days with measurable rain or snow.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: June averages 4.9 inches across 8.5 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 0.8 inches across 1.7 rainy days under drier cool-season air. That wet-warm-summer pattern groups Madelia with places like La Salle, MN, Hanska, MN and Lewisville, MN — a regional cohort where summer thunderstorm season carries more than half the annual moisture.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around late-May, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, and basil — typically wait two weeks past that date to avoid late spring cold snaps. The window closes around early-October, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside Madelia can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: La Salle, MN, Hanska, MN, Lewisville, MN, Lake Crystal, MN, St. James, MN.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Madelia?
- Madelia's last spring frost typically falls around mid-May, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Madelia?
- June is the wettest month with about 4.9 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 33 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Madelia?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 72°F.
- What is the coldest month in Madelia?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 14°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Madelia?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-May); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Madelia get?
- Madelia averages about 59 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Madelia?
- Madelia's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Madelia, Minnesota sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 14°F while July averages 72°F — a 58°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Madelia receives about 33 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 59 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (44.0°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.