Devils Lake, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Devils Lake's normal year runs from −2°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 20.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 4.6°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 26°C, 507 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationDevils Lake Kdlr
- Station IDUSW00014912
- Location48.11°N 98.87°W
- Elevation1,464 ft (446 m)
- Population7,314
On October 23, the normal high in Devils Lake is 49°F and the normal low 31°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Devils Lake.
- Jan 16° -2°
- Feb 21° 2°
- Mar 33° 15°
- Apr 51° 31°
- May 65° 44°
- Jun 74° 55°
- Jul 79° 59°
- Aug 79° 57°
- Sep 69° 49°
- Oct 53° 34°
- Nov 35° 18°
- Dec 22° 5°
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 Devils Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −2°F. The most precipitation falls in July (3.82 in), the least in February (0.38 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | −2°F | 7.2°F | 0.48 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 21°F | 2°F | 11.2°F | 0.38 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 33°F | 15°F | 24.1°F | 0.64 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 51°F | 31°F | 41.1°F | 0.96 | 6 | <1 | 18 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 65°F | 44°F | 54.6°F | 2.47 | 11 | <1 | 4 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 74°F | 55°F | 64.6°F | 3.76 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 79°F | 59°F | 69.4°F | 3.82 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 79°F | 57°F | 68.0°F | 2.43 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 49°F | 58.8°F | 1.96 | 8 | <1 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 53°F | 34°F | 43.6°F | 1.51 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 11 h |
| November | 35°F | 18°F | 26.5°F | 0.75 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 22°F | 5°F | 13.3°F | 0.82 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 31°F | 40.2°F | 19.98 | 98 | 6 | 182 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9°C | −19°C | −13.8°C | 12 mm |
| February | −6°C | −17°C | −11.6°C | 10 mm |
| March | 1°C | −9°C | −4.4°C | 16 mm |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 5.1°C | 24 mm |
| May | 18°C | 7°C | 12.6°C | 63 mm |
| June | 23°C | 13°C | 18.1°C | 96 mm |
| July | 26°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 97 mm |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 20.0°C | 62 mm |
| September | 21°C | 9°C | 14.9°C | 50 mm |
| October | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C | 38 mm |
| November | 2°C | −8°C | −3.1°C | 19 mm |
| December | −6°C | −15°C | −10.4°C | 21 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station, and no record within 25 miles keeps one, so snow is left out here rather than estimated.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014912; 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 Devils Lake?
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 (8).
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 USW00014912.
When is the last frost in Devils Lake?
In Devils Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 26 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 61 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 152 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 170 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 27 in half of springs and before October 14 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Devils Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 58301, 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 USW00014912; 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 Devils Lake?
In a normal year in Devils Lake, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 182 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 98 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 182a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 101high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 98a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1921) is 112°F, on July 6, 1936; the lowest is −46°F, on February 15, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1991, with 29.87 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 88.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014912; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014912. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Devils Lake?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Devils Lake, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (89%) and November the cloudiest (67%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 84% | 1.7 |
| February | 89% | 3.0 |
| March | 80% | 4.1 |
| April | 73% | 4.9 |
| May | 72% | 5.7 |
| June | 74% | 6.1 |
| July | 83% | 6.5 |
| August | 80% | 5.3 |
| September | 76% | 3.9 |
| October | 69% | 2.5 |
| November | 67% | 1.5 |
| December | 70% | 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 Devils Lake need?
A normal year in Devils Lake brings 9,428 heating degree days, 75% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 424 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 2,162 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,792 | 0 |
| February | 1,506 | 0 |
| March | 1,268 | 0 |
| April | 719 | 0 |
| May | 339 | 15 |
| June | 93 | 79 |
| July | 29 | 164 |
| August | 38 | 130 |
| September | 222 | 34 |
| October | 665 | 1 |
| November | 1,155 | 0 |
| December | 1,604 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,428 | 424 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014912. 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 Devils Lake's climate compare?
Devils Lake is warmer than 31 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 49. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 40.2°F is warmer than 6%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Devils Lake is Dwb: continental, dry-winter, 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 Devils Lake 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.
- Fort Totten, ND930 people · 12 mi SW
- Crary, ND112 people · 11 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Devils Lake's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Devils Lake. This page uses Devils Lake Kdlr; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake station USC00322148 | 2 mi NW | 1,440 ft | 39.3°F | −2°F | 79°F | – | – | May 12 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Devils Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Devils Lake?
January, with a normal high of 16°F and a normal low of −2°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 59°F at night).
What is the rainiest month in Devils Lake?
July, with 3.82 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 0.38 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Devils Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Devils Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 58301, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Devils Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 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
- Minnewaukan, ND19 miles from this station, 39.5°F a year
- Leeds, ND29 miles from this station, 38.7°F a year
- Edmore, ND29 miles from this station, 37.3°F a year
- McHenry (3 mi W), ND38 miles from this station, 40.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made