Minnesota design temperatures
Outdoor heating and cooling design conditions for 5 Minnesota weather stations. Choose the station nearest to you in distance and elevation, and check whether your building department specifies its own values.
| Station | Elevation | 99.6 % heating | 99 % heating | 1 % cooling / MCWB | 0.4 % cooling / MCWB | Use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BemidjiWMO 727550 · 1973–1996 | 1,378 ft | −26 °F | −19 °F | 86 / 70 °F | 89 / 71 °F | Load calculator |
| DuluthWMO 727450 · 1973–1996 | 1,417 ft | −21 °F | −16 °F | 81 / 67 °F | 85 / 70 °F | Load calculator |
| International FallsWMO 727470 · 1973–1996 | 1,184 ft | −28 °F | −23 °F | 83 / 67 °F | 87 / 69 °F | Load calculator |
| Minneapolis-St PaulWMO 726580 · 1973–1996 | 837 ft | −15 °F | −10 °F | 88 / 72 °F | 91 / 73 °F | Load calculator |
| RochesterWMO 726440 · 1973–1996 | 1,319 ft | −18 °F | −12 °F | 86 / 72 °F | 88 / 73 °F | Load calculator |
Using these values
- Heat-loss calculations for homes commonly use the 99 % heating value, and cooling loads the 1 % dry bulb with its mean coincident wet bulb (MCWB). The 99.6 % and 0.4 % values are more conservative.
- “Load calculator” opens the heating and cooling load calculator with that station’s 99 % and 1 % temperatures and its design moisture difference (outdoor air at the 1 % condition versus 75 °F, 50 % RH indoors, at the station’s elevation).
- Source: U.S. Air Force Combat Climatology Center and NOAA National Climatic Data Center, Engineering Weather Data (1999; public domain). Each station’s period of record is shown under its name; they end by 1996, and the climate has warmed since, so check local requirements before relying on a value for a permit.