Center, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Center's normal year runs from 5°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 18.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.9°C, January lows of −15°C, July highs of 28°C, 481 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationCenter (4 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00321456
- Location47.06°N 101.21°W
- Elevation1,990 ft (607 m)
- Population582
On October 22, the normal high in Center is 51°F and the normal low 31°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Center.
- Jan 23° 5°
- Feb 27° 9°
- Mar 39° 20°
- Apr 54° 33°
- May 66° 43°
- Jun 75° 53°
- Jul 82° 58°
- Aug 81° 56°
- Sep 71° 46°
- Oct 55° 34°
- Nov 38° 20°
- Dec 26° 9°
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 Center each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 5°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.46 in), the least in January (0.51 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°F | 5°F | 13.7°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 27°F | 9°F | 17.8°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 39°F | 20°F | 29.4°F | 0.85 | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 33°F | 43.4°F | 1.41 | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 43°F | 54.5°F | 2.78 | – | <1 | 6 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 53°F | 64.2°F | 3.46 | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 82°F | 58°F | 69.7°F | 2.77 | – | 7 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 56°F | 68.3°F | 2.01 | – | 7 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 71°F | 46°F | 58.6°F | 2.08 | – | 2 | 4 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 55°F | 34°F | 44.1°F | 1.40 | – | <1 | 18 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 20°F | 29.0°F | 0.66 | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 26°F | 9°F | 17.9°F | 0.51 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 32°F | 42.6°F | 18.95 | – | 17 | 192 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −15°C | −10.2°C | 13 mm |
| February | −3°C | −13°C | −7.9°C | 13 mm |
| March | 4°C | −7°C | −1.4°C | 22 mm |
| April | 12°C | 0°C | 6.3°C | 36 mm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.5°C | 71 mm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 17.9°C | 88 mm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 20.9°C | 70 mm |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 20.2°C | 51 mm |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 14.8°C | 53 mm |
| October | 13°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 36 mm |
| November | 4°C | −7°C | −1.7°C | 17 mm |
| December | −3°C | −13°C | −7.8°C | 13 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, New Salem (18 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 USC00321456; 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 Center?
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 USC00321456.
When is the last frost in Center?
In Center, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 26 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 in half of years and before September 15 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 111 year in 10 after May 26; 9 in 10 after April 28
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 15; 9 in 10 before October 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 140 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 58530, 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 USC00321456; 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 Center?
In a normal year in Center, 17 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 192 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 192a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 77high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1938) is 110°F, on August 5, 1941; the lowest is −42°F, on January 18, 1950.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2010, with 26.81 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 71.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00321456; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00321456. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Center?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Center, 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 Center need?
A normal year in Center brings 8,589 heating degree days, 60% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 447 cooling degree days, 51% 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 2,192 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,589 | 0 |
| February | 1,320 | 0 |
| March | 1,104 | 0 |
| April | 650 | 1 |
| May | 338 | 14 |
| June | 99 | 75 |
| July | 28 | 173 |
| August | 44 | 148 |
| September | 227 | 35 |
| October | 650 | 2 |
| November | 1,081 | 0 |
| December | 1,460 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,589 | 447 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321456. 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.
Has Center been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 40.6°F, 2.0°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 42.6°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.5°F | +2.9°F | – |
| 2022 | 40.6°F | −2.0°F | – |
Over 47 complete years from 1942 to 2022, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.0°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00321456; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Center's climate compare?
Center is warmer than 74 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 35. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.6°F is warmer than 11%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Center is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Center's climate
What is the coldest month in Center?
January, with a normal high of 23°F and a normal low of 5°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Center?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Center's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, New Salem (18 miles away), records 45 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Center?
June, with 3.46 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.51 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Center in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Center in zone 4a in ZIP code 58530, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Center?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; in one year in ten it comes after May 26. Waiting until May 26 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
- New Salem, ND17 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Washburn, ND18 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Wilton, ND21 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Mandan, ND22 miles from this station, 42.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made