Minneapolis has four distinct seasons and genuine weather in all of them. Summer (June through August) is warm and occasionally humid, with temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s Celsius, and this is when the parks, lakes, and outdoor festivals make the city most appealing. The Art on the Lake festival at Lake Harriet, the Uptown Art Fair, and the Minneapolis Aquatennial parade in July are summer highlights.
Spring and fall are excellent for shorter visits — temperatures are mild, the parks are beautiful, and crowds are light. The fall colour on the Chain of Lakes is exceptional in October.
Winter (December through March) is cold — genuinely cold, with stretches of -20°C not unusual — but Minneapolis takes winter seriously in a way that most cold-weather cities do not. The Skyway System keeps the downtown walkable; ice skating and cross-country skiing begin on the lakes in December; and the Holidazzle parade and various winter festivals treat the season as a feature rather than a problem. The city also has some of the best indoor entertainment in the Midwest, which helps.