Colgate, North Dakota climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Colgate's normal year runs from −6°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 20.9 inches of precipitation and 35 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.7°C, January lows of −21°C, July highs of 27°C, 530 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColgate
- Station IDUSC00321686
- Location47.24°N 97.66°W
- Elevation1,180 ft (360 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Colgate is 49°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Colgate.
- Jan 14° -6°
- Feb 19° -3°
- Mar 32° 13°
- Apr 51° 29°
- May 65° 42°
- Jun 75° 53°
- Jul 81° 57°
- Aug 79° 54°
- Sep 70° 44°
- Oct 53° 31°
- Nov 35° 16°
- Dec 20° 3°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Colgate each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −6°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.58 in), the least in February (0.46 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°F | −6°F | 4.1°F | 0.51 | 8.4 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 19°F | −3°F | 8.1°F | 0.46 | 5.0 | 3 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 32°F | 13°F | 22.8°F | 0.84 | 4.5 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 29°F | 39.6°F | 0.94 | 1.6 | 4 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 42°F | 53.8°F | 3.15 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 53°F | 64.3°F | 3.58 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 57°F | 68.7°F | 3.30 | 0.0 | 8 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 79°F | 54°F | 66.6°F | 2.51 | 0.0 | 7 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 70°F | 44°F | 57.0°F | 2.73 | 0.0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 31°F | 42.3°F | 1.58 | 0.8 | 5 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 35°F | 16°F | 25.3°F | 0.71 | 8.0 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 20°F | 3°F | 11.5°F | 0.57 | 6.4 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 28°F | 38.7°F | 20.88 | 34.7 | 64 | 11 | 186 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −10°C | −21°C | −15.5°C | 13 mm | 21 cm |
| February | −7°C | −19°C | −13.3°C | 12 mm | 13 cm |
| March | 0°C | −10°C | −5.1°C | 21 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 10°C | −2°C | 4.2°C | 24 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 19°C | 6°C | 12.1°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 17.9°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.4°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 12°C | 19.2°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C | 69 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 12°C | 0°C | 5.7°C | 40 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 1°C | −9°C | −3.7°C | 18 mm | 20 cm |
| December | −7°C | −16°C | −11.4°C | 14 mm | 16 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321686; 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.
Which months are mildest at Colgate?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00321686.
When is the last frost at Colgate?
In Colgate, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 24 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 101 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 241 year in 10 before September 13; 9 in 10 before October 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 136 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 153 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 4 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Colgate in zone 4a in ZIP code 58064, 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 USC00321686; 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 at Colgate?
In a normal year in Colgate, 11 days a year reach 90°F, 186 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 64 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 186a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 98high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 64a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 14a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00321686.
How sunny is it at Colgate?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Colgate, 3.8 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (86%) and November the cloudiest (65%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 1.7 |
| February | 86% | 3.0 |
| March | 78% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 4.9 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 82% | 6.4 |
| August | 80% | 5.3 |
| September | 75% | 3.9 |
| October | 68% | 2.5 |
| November | 65% | 1.5 |
| December | 66% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Colgate record?
A normal year at Colgate brings 9,921 heating degree days, 85% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 369 cooling degree days, 59% 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 2,011 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,889 | 0 |
| February | 1,595 | 0 |
| March | 1,308 | 0 |
| April | 762 | 0 |
| May | 363 | 14 |
| June | 97 | 78 |
| July | 30 | 143 |
| August | 59 | 108 |
| September | 266 | 25 |
| October | 705 | 1 |
| November | 1,189 | 0 |
| December | 1,658 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,921 | 369 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00321686. 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 Colgate's climate compare?
Colgate is warmer than 14 of the 92 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 57. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.7°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Colgate 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.
Which places near Colgate share this climate record?
6 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.
- Hope, ND276 people · 6 mi NW
- Page, ND188 people · 7 mi SE
- Galesburg, ND113 people · 12 mi E
- Erie, ND44 people · 15 mi SE
- Ayr, ND12 people · 16 mi SE
- Pillsbury, ND12 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 Colgate's climate
What is the coldest month at Colgate?
January, with a normal high of 14°F and a normal low of −6°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow at Colgate?
Yes: 35 inches in a normal year, falling on 16 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (8.4 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Colgate?
June, with 3.58 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.46 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Colgate in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Colgate in zone 4a in ZIP code 58064, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Colgate?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 25. Waiting until May 25 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
- Cooperstown, ND21 miles from this station, 39.3°F a year
- Mayville, ND23 miles from this station, 39.4°F a year
- Valley City, ND26 miles from this station, 40.5°F a year
- Hillsboro, ND30 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made