Waterville, Minnesota Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Waterville weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Partly Cloudy20%—85°67°—
- SundayJul 5Heavy Rain25%0.36″83°66°-2°
- MondayJul 6Light Drizzle——82°66°-1°
- TuesdayJul 7Overcast——85°66°+3°
- WednesdayJul 8T-storm w/ Hail55%0.11″79°68°-6°
- ThursdayJul 9Overcast55%—77°63°-2°
- FridayJul 10Overcast——83°61°+6°
AQI 45 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI up 12 over the last 6 hours (gradual rise). PM2.5 at 13.9 µg/m³ (AQI 60) with a 0.79 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion during the projected peak around 9 PM.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 46 now. With UV 5.1 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 31 around 1 PM.
- Present
- AQI 46
- UV peak
- 5.1 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 31
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 13.9 µg/m³ (AQI 60) with a 0.79 fine-to-coarse ratio and 4 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.79
- Wind
- calm
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:16 PM
- Moonset
- 10:15 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Waterville at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 9°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 11 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 56096
16-Day Forecast — Waterville
- Sat85°67°20%
- Sun83°66°25%
- Mon82°66°4%
- Tue85°66°7%
- Wed79°68°55%
- Thu77°63°55%
- Fri83°61°7%
- Sat76°61°11%
- Sun73°55°14%
- Mon77°56°6%
- Tue80°58°7%
- Wed81°65°12%
- Thu84°61°19%
- Fri87°67°17%
- Sat87°68°24%
- Sun90°70°28%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 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 today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- 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.
Microseason · July 1–5
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Millions of periodical and annual cicadas emerge, their droning chorus filling the summer heat; the soundtrack of midsummer settles over prairie and wetland.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
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
In Waterville, July runs warmest near 71°F and January coldest around 13°F, while June is the wettest month (5.4 inches) and February the driest (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, from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals, pairs 13°F Januarys with 71°F Julys — a 58°F swing. About 37.9 inches of precipitation falls over roughly 69 days a year.
Waterville's rain peaks in summer: June brings 5.4 inches over 8.4 thunderstorm-fed days, while February sees just 1.2 inches across 3.2 days under cooler, drier air. That puts Waterville in a summer-convective cohort with places like Elysian, MN, Kilkenny, MN and Morristown, MN.
By late-May the frosts ease in Waterville, opening the season for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Hold Waterville's tender crops — tomatoes, peppers, basil — until 10-14 days past Waterville's last frost. Waterville's window closes around early-October as overnight lows return below freezing. Within Waterville, cold-air pooling chills low spots by 5-10°F, shifting Waterville's local frost dates.
Similar climates: Elysian, MN, Kilkenny, MN, Morristown, MN, Janesville, MN, Warsaw, MN.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Waterville?
- In Waterville, expect the last spring frost near mid-May; Waterville's first autumn frost comes around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Waterville?
- June is the wettest month in Waterville, about 5.4 inches on average; the year totals roughly 38 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Waterville?
- July is Waterville's warmest month, averaging about 71°F.
- What is the coldest month in Waterville?
- Waterville bottoms out in January, with a mean near 13°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Waterville?
- Waterville's last frost (mid-May) cues hardy greens; in Waterville, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Waterville get?
- Waterville averages about 69 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Waterville?
- Waterville's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 13°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Waterville?
- Waterville's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Waterville?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Waterville in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Waterville?
- Current conditions for Waterville and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Waterville forecast updated?
- The Waterville forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Waterville?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Waterville are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Waterville?
- The next few days in Waterville's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
Waterville, Minnesota occupies a warm-summer humid continental zone, with January means near 13°F and July around 71°F — a 58°F swing.
Waterville sees close to 38 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 69 wet days.
The 58°F gap between Waterville's summer and winter, at 44.2°N, shapes Waterville's frost calendar.
ZIP codes in Waterville
- 56096