Minnesota sap flow forecast

The next several days for Minnesota's sugaring country, read the way a sugarmaker reads them: how cold the night gets, how warm the afternoon gets, and whether that adds up to a run. The season here usually opens early March.

Chisago County has the most taps in Minnesota, 10,667 of 97,822 (2022 Census of Agriculture).

Forecast for North Branch

Updated Sep 26, 8:51 AM EDT

It's the off-season. Sap needs freezing nights, and there are none in sight. Minnesota's season usually opens around March 6 — 161 days from now.

No freeze-thaw days in the forecast

Blue = below 32°F · Amber = thaw · dashed line = freezing

SunSep 27
68°high
54°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 54°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
MonSep 28
71°high
51°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 51°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
TueSep 29
67°high
56°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 56°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
WedSep 30
68°high
53°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 53°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
ThuOct 1
65°high
52°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 52°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
FriOct 2
64°high
46°low
0h frozen
20h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 46°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.

Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.

The northeastern forest counties of St. Louis, Itasca and Carlton hold 17% of Minnesota's taps, and St. Louis County has the most maple farms (2022 Census of Agriculture).

Forecast for Grand Rapids

Updated Sep 26, 8:21 AM EDT

It's the off-season. Sap needs freezing nights, and there are none in sight. Minnesota's season usually opens around March 6 — 161 days from now.

No freeze-thaw days in the forecast

Blue = below 32°F · Amber = thaw · dashed line = freezing

SunSep 27
69°high
53°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 53°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
MonSep 28
67°high
46°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 46°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
TueSep 29
64°high
56°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 56°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
WedSep 30
67°high
49°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 49°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
ThuOct 1
62°high
49°low
0h frozen
24h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 49°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.
FriOct 2
62°high
42°low
0h frozen
20h thawed
No freeze, no run
Low of 42°F — trees need a hard freeze to reload. No freeze, no run.

Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.

Somewhere else in Minnesota?

Your sugarbush, your forecast

Hourly temperatures for your exact spot, turned into a day-by-day sap-run outlook. US and Canada.

Planning ahead? Typical tapping dates for Minnesota →

Data & method

National Weather Service API — NOAA National Weather Service
Sap flow in sugar maple: timing and weather drivers (Frontiers in Agronomy, 2025) — de Lima Santos et al.
Maple Sugaring Tips for Beginners and Backyard Maple Sugar Producers — UNH Extension
North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, 2nd ed. (Bulletin 856) — The Ohio State University Extension

Never miss the first run

LuckySap can ping you the evening before a strong sap day, then keeps your collections, sugar readings, and boils in one season log. Free on iPhone.