Carson, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Carson's normal year runs from 4°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.7°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationCarson
- Station IDUSC00321370
- Location46.42°N 101.57°W
- Elevation2,335 ft (712 m)
- Population245
On October 23, the normal high in Carson is 52°F and the normal low 28°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Carson.
- Jan 24° 4°
- Feb 29° 7°
- Mar 40° 18°
- Apr 53° 28°
- May 66° 40°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 83° 57°
- Aug 81° 54°
- Sep 72° 45°
- Oct 56° 31°
- Nov 42° 19°
- Dec 28° 8°
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 Carson each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 4°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24°F | 4°F | 14.3°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 29°F | 7°F | 18.1°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 18°F | 28.7°F | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 28°F | 40.8°F | – | <1 | 20 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 40°F | 52.8°F | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 51°F | 63.1°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 83°F | 57°F | 69.7°F | – | 5 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 54°F | 67.8°F | – | 7 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 45°F | 58.6°F | – | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 31°F | 43.7°F | – | <1 | 16 | 11 h |
| November | 42°F | 19°F | 30.2°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 28°F | 8°F | 18.0°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 30°F | 42.2°F | – | 14 | 188 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −4°C | −15°C | −9.8°C |
| February | −2°C | −14°C | −7.7°C |
| March | 4°C | −8°C | −1.8°C |
| April | 12°C | −2°C | 4.9°C |
| May | 19°C | 4°C | 11.6°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.3°C |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 20.9°C |
| August | 27°C | 12°C | 19.9°C |
| September | 22°C | 7°C | 14.8°C |
| October | 13°C | 0°C | 6.5°C |
| November | 5°C | −7°C | −1.0°C |
| December | −2°C | −13°C | −7.8°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Heart Butte Dam (16 miles away), gets 38 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321370; 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 Carson?
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 USC00321370.
When is the last frost in Carson?
In Carson, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 19 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 25 in half of years and before September 11 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 191 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after May 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 251 year in 10 before September 11; 9 in 10 before October 8
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 127 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 143 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 11 in half of springs and before October 2 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Carson in zone 4a in ZIP code 58529, 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 USC00321370; 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 Carson?
In a normal year in Carson, 14 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 188 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 14a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 188a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 80high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1912) is 116°F, on July 6, 1936; the lowest is −43°F, on February 15, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 25.34 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 74.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00321370; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00321370. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Carson?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Carson, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and December the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 1.8 |
| February | 81% | 2.9 |
| March | 73% | 3.8 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 78% | 6.5 |
| July | 85% | 6.8 |
| August | 83% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.3 |
| October | 71% | 2.7 |
| November | 71% | 1.8 |
| December | 68% | 1.3 |
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 Carson need?
A normal year in Carson brings 8,714 heating degree days, 62% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 428 cooling degree days, 53% 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 2,103 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,573 | 0 |
| February | 1,312 | 0 |
| March | 1,124 | 0 |
| April | 727 | 1 |
| May | 385 | 8 |
| June | 115 | 60 |
| July | 30 | 176 |
| August | 55 | 142 |
| September | 232 | 41 |
| October | 663 | 1 |
| November | 1,043 | 0 |
| December | 1,457 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,714 | 428 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321370. 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 Carson's climate compare?
Carson is warmer than 63 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 42.2°F is warmer than 10%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Carson share this climate record?
3 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.
- Elgin, ND524 people · 13 mi W
- Leith, ND25 people · 5 mi SW
- Heil, ND8 people · 7 mi W
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 Carson's climate
What is the coldest month in Carson?
January, with a normal high of 24°F and a normal low of 4°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Carson?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Carson's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Heart Butte Dam (16 miles away), records 38 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Carson in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Carson in zone 4a in ZIP code 58529, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Carson?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 19; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 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
- Heart Butte Dam, ND16 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Flasher, ND18 miles from this station, 42.8°F a year
- Almont, ND21 miles from this station, 43.1°F a year
- Pretty Rock, ND22 miles from this station, 43.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made