The climatic conditions of Minneapolis-St. Paul involve long-term weather trends that stem from the historical makeup of this metropolitan area situated in Central Minnesota. Both St. Paul and Minneapolis form the Twin Cities, which makes them the core of the 15th largest metropolitan region in the United States. With its population standing at 3.6 million inhabitants, the area forms roughly 60 percent of Minnesota’s population.

As a result of its geographical location in the central and northern sector of the United States, the Twin Cities have the coldest average temperature levels of any major metropolitan area in the country. Its winters tend to be quite cold, while its summer is warm and humid. Snowfall is a typical occurrence in the winter together with thunderstorms accompanied with heavy rainfall during the spring, summer, and autumn.

Though its winter tends to be cold, the area gets more sunlight during mid-day hours than most of the other warmer regions of the country, such as the Great Lakes states, sectors in the South, the Pacific Northwest, and most of the Northeast region.

The climatic standing of the Twin Cities is categorized as humid continental, with one of its distinct features being unpredictable and extreme patterns happening in various phases of measurements.

Temperatures experienced during the winter months in the Twin Cities tend to be colder than those of any other major metropolitan region in the Continental United States, and are roughly equal to those in Alaska and Anchorage, which are 1000 miles closer to the North Pole. These cities can experience floods and droughts, and are typically windier than Chicago.

During the past few years, there has been a significant impact on temperature levels in the Twin Cities as a result of the urban heat effect. Significant amounts of asphalt and concrete, combined with numerous tall buildings that block wind, play a significant role in trapping heat close to the surface, thereby resulting in warmer conditions than that of the surrounding regions, especially at night. The yearly average temperature of 45.4 experienced at the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport is warmer than that of Mankato and Rochester, which are both situated further to the south.