Waterville, Minnesota Weather
Prairie lightning bugs rise. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Waterville weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Overcast——83°59°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast28%—83°64°0°
- FridayJun 5Overcast27%—84°65°+1°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast26%—82°63°-2°
- SundayJun 7Light Showers31%—86°63°+4°
- MondayJun 8Drizzle54%0.09″75°69°-11°
- TuesdayJun 9Mostly Clear35%—88°68°+13°
Ozone at AQI 50. AQI up 19 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. 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 50. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~100%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 50
- UV peak
- 0.0 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 6
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
- 4:58 AM
- Moonset
- 2:03 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Prairie lightning bugs rise
Waterville at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 71°F — typical for the season
- Last frost: May 11 (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 — Waterville
SPC has placed Waterville in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWMRGLMarginal Risk
- DAY 3MRGLMarginal Risk
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
Waterville's warmest month is July (~71°F mean) and its coldest is January (~13°F). Rainfall peaks in June (5.4 inches) and bottoms out in February (1.2 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13° | 1.3″ | 4 |
| February | 18° | 1.2″ | 3 |
| March | 31° | 2.3″ | 5 |
| April | 45° | 3.3″ | 7 |
| May | 58° | 4.5″ | 9 |
| June | 68° | 5.4″ | 8 |
| July | 71° | 4.9″ | 7 |
| August | 69° | 4.8″ | 7 |
| September | 62° | 4.1″ | 6 |
| October | 48° | 2.8″ | 5 |
| November | 33° | 1.9″ | 4 |
| December | 20° | 1.5″ | 4 |
Regional context
Waterville's climate, per the NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals from the nearest reporting station, runs cold-winter and warm-summer. January means hover near 13°F while July climbs to 71°F — a 58°F seasonal swing typical of northern-tier latitudes. Annual precipitation totals about 37.9 inches spread across roughly 69 days with measurable rain or snow.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: June averages 5.4 inches across 8.4 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 1.2 inches across 3.2 rainy days under drier cool-season air. That wet-warm-summer pattern groups Waterville with places like Elysian, MN, Kilkenny, MN and Morristown, 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. These dates represent 30-year central tendencies; actual year-to-year variation can shift either bookend by 7-14 days, and local microclimate features within Waterville — cold-air drainage on calm clear nights, slope aspect, distance from any nearby lake or river — can push the practical frost window earlier or later than the regional average.
Similar climates: Elysian, MN, Kilkenny, MN, Morristown, MN, Janesville, MN, Warsaw, MN.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Waterville?
- Waterville's last spring frost typically falls around mid-May, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Waterville?
- June is the wettest month with about 5.4 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 38 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Waterville?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 71°F.
- What is the coldest month in Waterville?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 13°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Waterville?
- 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 Waterville get?
- Waterville averages about 69 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Waterville?
- Waterville'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
Waterville, Minnesota sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 13°F while July averages 71°F — a 58°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Waterville receives about 38 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 69 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (44.2°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.