Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Aitkin Minnesota, United States

In Aitkin, the summers are long and warm; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 2°F to 80°F and is rarely below -21°F or above 88°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Aitkin for warm-weather activities is from late June to late August.

The warm season lasts for 3.9 months, from May 18 to September 15, with an average daily high temperature above 68°F. The hottest month of the year in Aitkin is July, with an average high of 79°F and low of 57°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 26 to March 2, with an average daily high temperature below 33°F. The coldest month of the year in Aitkin is January, with an average low of 3°F and high of 21°F.

In Aitkin, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Aitkin begins around May 28 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around October 12.

The clearest month of the year in Aitkin is August, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 70% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 12 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around May 28.

The cloudiest month of the year in Aitkin is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 63% of the time.

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A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Aitkin varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.5 months, from April 22 to October 6, with a greater than 24% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Aitkin is June, with an average of 11.7 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.5 months, from October 6 to April 22. The month with the fewest wet days in Aitkin is January, with an average of 2.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation in Aitkin changes throughout the year.

Rain alone is the most common for 8.5 months, from March 13 to November 26. The month with the most days of rain alone in Aitkin is June, with an average of 11.7 days.

Snow alone is the most common for 3.5 months, from November 26 to March 13. The month with the most days of snow alone in Aitkin is December, with an average of 2.0 days.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Aitkin experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 8.5 months, from March 12 to November 27, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Aitkin is June, with an average rainfall of 3.9 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from November 27 to March 12. The month with the least rain in Aitkin is January, with an average rainfall of 0.0 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Aitkin experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 6.2 months, from October 23 to April 29, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Aitkin is December, with an average snowfall of 3.8 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 5.8 months, from April 29 to October 23. The least snow falls around July 16, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Aitkin varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2026, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 34 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 50 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:21 AM on June 16, and the latest sunrise is 2 hours, 38 minutes later at 7:58 AM on January 1. The earliest sunset is at 4:27 PM on December 10, and the latest sunset is 4 hours, 45 minutes later at 9:12 PM on June 26.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Aitkin during 2026, starting in the spring on March 8, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 1.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2026. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Aitkin experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from June 7 to September 16, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 7% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Aitkin is July, with 8.1 days that are muggy or worse.

The least muggy day of the year is February 18, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Aitkin experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 8.4 months, from September 12 to May 24, with average wind speeds of more than 11.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Aitkin is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.6 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 3.6 months, from May 24 to September 12. The calmest month of the year in Aitkin is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.0 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Aitkin varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 4.1 months, from January 5 to May 9, with a peak percentage of 34% on February 16. The wind is most often from the south for 4.9 months, from May 9 to October 6; for 2.0 days, from October 18 to October 20; and for 2.1 weeks, from October 30 to November 14, with a peak percentage of 38% on August 27. The wind is most often from the west for 1.3 weeks, from October 6 to October 15; for 3.0 days, from October 15 to October 18; for 1.4 weeks, from October 20 to October 30; and for 1.7 months, from November 14 to January 5, with a peak percentage of 32% on October 25.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Aitkin throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Aitkin for general outdoor tourist activities is from late June to late August, with a peak score in the last week of July.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Aitkin for hot-weather activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Aitkin typically lasts for 4.0 months (124 days), from around May 22 to around September 23, rarely starting before May 2 or after June 12, and rarely ending before September 6 or after October 9.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Aitkin should appear around May 1, only rarely appearing before April 18 or after May 17.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from May 5 to August 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 5.8 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Aitkin is July, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from October 27 to February 11, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 2.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Aitkin is December, with an average of 1.3 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Aitkin are 46.533 deg latitude, -93.710 deg longitude, and 1,207 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Aitkin contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 105 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 1,213 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (213 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (761 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Aitkin is covered by trees (52%) and cropland (42%), within 10 miles by trees (69%) and cropland (16%), and within 50 miles by trees (72%) and cropland (13%).