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Ottawa vs Minneapolis

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Comparing Ottawa change · Minneapolis change

Bottom line

Minneapolis is the warmer of the two — about 2°F on the annual average; Ottawa is the wetter, with 7 in more rain a year.

Warmer Minneapolis 2°F on the year

Wetter Ottawa 7 in more a year

Sunnier Minneapolis 4 pp less cloud

Winter nights About the same winter lows close to each other

How the seasons compare

The differences between Ottawa and Minneapolis, in everyday terms.

Summers

Summers are nearly the same

Ottawa: Warm
Minneapolis: Warm

Winters

Winters are similar

Ottawa: Very cold
Minneapolis: Very cold

Rain & snow

Ottawa is wetter

Ottawa: Moderate rainfall
Minneapolis: Moderate rainfall

Sky

Similar amounts of sun

Ottawa: Often cloudy
Minneapolis: Partly cloudy

Month-by-month charts

Temperature

Minneapolis is the warmer of the two — about 2°F on the annual average.

Precipitation

Ottawa is the wetter — about 7 in more across the year.

Clear skies

The two cities see a similar amount of sun.

Exact monthly numbers

Tap a metric to open its full table. Desktop shows all twelve months; on a phone each metric splits into Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec.

Avg high (°F) Minneapolis runs higher most of the year

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	23	26	37	52	67	76	80	78	70	56	43	29
Minneapolis	24	29	42	57	69	79	83	80	72	58	42	29
Difference	+1	+3	+5	+4	+2	+3	+2	+2	+2	+2	—	-1

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	23	26	37	52	67	76
Minneapolis	24	29	42	57	69	79
Difference	+1	+3	+5	+4	+2	+3

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	80	78	70	56	43	29
Minneapolis	83	80	72	58	42	29
Difference	+2	+2	+2	+2	—	-1

Avg low (°F) Minneapolis runs higher most of the year

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	7	9	20	34	47	56	61	59	51	40	29	17
Minneapolis	9	13	25	37	49	59	64	62	53	40	27	15
Difference	+1	+4	+5	+3	+2	+3	+3	+3	+2	—	-2	-2

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	7	9	20	34	47	56
Minneapolis	9	13	25	37	49	59
Difference	+1	+4	+5	+3	+2	+3

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	61	59	51	40	29	17
Minneapolis	64	62	53	40	27	15
Difference	+3	+3	+2	—	-2	-2

Precipitation (in) Varies through the year

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	2.6	2.1	2.4	3.2	3.2	3.7	3.6	3.4	3.4	3.5	2.8	2.8
Minneapolis	0.5	0.5	1.4	2.6	4	4.6	4	4.1	3.1	2.5	1.3	0.7
Difference	-2.1	-1.5	-1	-0.6	+0.8	+0.9	+0.3	+0.7	-0.3	-1	-1.4	-2.2

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	2.6	2.1	2.4	3.2	3.2	3.7
Minneapolis	0.5	0.5	1.4	2.6	4	4.6
Difference	-2.1	-1.5	-1	-0.6	+0.8	+0.9

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	3.6	3.4	3.4	3.5	2.8	2.8
Minneapolis	4	4.1	3.1	2.5	1.3	0.7
Difference	+0.3	+0.7	-0.3	-1	-1.4	-2.2

Snowfall (in)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	17.5	16.3	12.2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.8	6.4	16.7
Minneapolis	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Difference	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	17.5	16.3	12.2	3	0	0
Minneapolis	—	—	—	—	—	—
Difference	—	—	—	—	—	—

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	0	0	0	0.8	6.4	16.7
Minneapolis	—	—	—	—	—	—
Difference	—	—	—	—	—	—

Cloud cover (%) Ottawa runs higher most of the year

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	69	64	63	66	66	63	58	58	58	69	72	73
Minneapolis	62	61	67	64	65	61	49	52	52	62	64	66
Difference	-7	-3	+3	-1	—	-2	-9	-6	-6	-7	-8	-7

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	69	64	63	66	66	63
Minneapolis	62	61	67	64	65	61
Difference	-7	-3	+3	-1	—	-2

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	58	58	58	69	72	73
Minneapolis	49	52	52	62	64	66
Difference	-9	-6	-6	-7	-8	-7

Relative humidity (%) Ottawa runs higher most of the year

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	95	95	88	78	77	78	79	78	78	80	85	92
Minneapolis	90	87	78	71	71	73	72	71	70	73	80	88
Difference	-5	-8	-10	-7	-6	-5	-7	-6	-7	-7	-5	-4

Jan – Jun	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Ottawa	95	95	88	78	77	78
Minneapolis	90	87	78	71	71	73
Difference	-5	-8	-10	-7	-6	-5

Jul – Dec	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ottawa	79	78	78	80	85	92
Minneapolis	72	71	70	73	80	88
Difference	-7	-6	-7	-7	-5	-4

How both climates are changing

Both cities are warming. Each city has its own warming trend; see its trends page for the year-by-year detail. Ottawa trends → · Minneapolis trends →

Methodology & sources

Ottawa

Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 30 years of daily observations at Ottawa Cda, a weather station, about 4 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.

Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.

Minneapolis

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at ST Paul Dwtn AP (NOAA GHCN station USW00014927), about 17 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← change Ottawa · change Minneapolis → · Ottawa page · Minneapolis page