Butte, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Butte's normal year runs from 1°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.0°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationButte (5 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00321225
- Location47.79°N 100.58°W
- Elevation1,720 ft (524 m)
- Population72
On October 23, the normal high in Butte is 51°F and the normal low 29°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Butte.
- Jan 19° 1°
- Feb 24° 5°
- Mar 36° 16°
- Apr 53° 29°
- May 66° 42°
- Jun 75° 52°
- Jul 81° 57°
- Aug 81° 55°
- Sep 72° 46°
- Oct 55° 33°
- Nov 37° 18°
- Dec 25° 7°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Butte each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 1°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 1°F | 10.0°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 24°F | 5°F | 14.0°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 36°F | 16°F | 26.3°F | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 29°F | 41.2°F | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 66°F | 42°F | 54.0°F | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 75°F | 52°F | 63.5°F | – | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 81°F | 57°F | 68.8°F | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 81°F | 55°F | 68.1°F | – | 6 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 72°F | 46°F | 58.7°F | – | 2 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 33°F | 43.9°F | – | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 37°F | 18°F | 27.7°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 25°F | 7°F | 15.6°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 30°F | 41.0°F | – | 13 | 184 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −17°C | −12.2°C |
| February | −5°C | −15°C | −10.0°C |
| March | 2°C | −9°C | −3.2°C |
| April | 12°C | −2°C | 5.1°C |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 12.2°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.5°C |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.4°C |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 20.1°C |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 14.8°C |
| October | 13°C | 0°C | 6.6°C |
| November | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C |
| December | −4°C | −14°C | −9.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, McClusky (23 miles away), gets 45 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321225; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Butte?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321225.
When is the last frost in Butte?
In Butte, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 16 in half of years and after May 31 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 13 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 161 year in 10 after May 31; 9 in 10 after May 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 134 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 152 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 6 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Butte in zone 4a in ZIP code 58723, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00321225; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Butte?
In a normal year in Butte, 13 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 184 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 13a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 184a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 89high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1925) is 109°F, on July 11, 1936; the lowest is −39°F, on February 6, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1944, with 24.85 in; the snowiest season is 1996–97, with 62.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00321225; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00321225. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Butte?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Butte, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and November the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81% | 1.8 |
| February | 83% | 2.9 |
| March | 77% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 4.8 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 76% | 6.3 |
| July | 84% | 6.7 |
| August | 82% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.1 |
| October | 70% | 2.6 |
| November | 68% | 1.6 |
| December | 68% | 1.2 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Butte need?
A normal year in Butte brings 9,116 heating degree days, 70% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 414 cooling degree days, 54% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,131 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,705 | 0 |
| February | 1,427 | 0 |
| March | 1,198 | 0 |
| April | 713 | 0 |
| May | 351 | 11 |
| June | 109 | 65 |
| July | 30 | 150 |
| August | 49 | 145 |
| September | 229 | 40 |
| October | 656 | 2 |
| November | 1,117 | 0 |
| December | 1,531 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,116 | 414 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321225. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Butte's climate compare?
Butte is warmer than 40 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 41.0°F is warmer than 7%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Butte share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Balfour, ND15 people · 11 mi N
- Kief, ND8 people · 6 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Butte's climate
What is the coldest month in Butte?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of 1°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Butte?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Butte's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, McClusky (23 miles away), records 45 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Butte in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Butte in zone 4a in ZIP code 58723, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Butte?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 31. Waiting until May 31 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Dakota climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Drake, ND22 miles from this station, 39.5°F a year
- McClusky, ND22 miles from this station, 43.9°F a year
- Turtle Lake, ND24 miles from this station, 41.1°F a year
- Velva, ND25 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made