Ellendale, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ellendale's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.2°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationEllendale
- Station IDUSC00322605
- Location46.01°N 98.53°W
- Elevation1,455 ft (444 m)
- Population1,139
On October 22, the normal high in Ellendale is 54°F and the normal low 33°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ellendale.
- Jan 21° 2°
- Feb 25° 5°
- Mar 38° 19°
- Apr 55° 32°
- May 69° 45°
- Jun 78° 56°
- Jul 83° 60°
- Aug 82° 58°
- Sep 73° 49°
- Oct 57° 35°
- Nov 40° 21°
- Dec 26° 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 Ellendale each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 2°F | 11.8°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 5°F | 14.9°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 19°F | 28.8°F | – | <1 | 27 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 32°F | 43.5°F | – | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 69°F | 45°F | 57.1°F | – | 1 | 3 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 78°F | 56°F | 67.0°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 83°F | 60°F | 71.8°F | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 82°F | 58°F | 69.8°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 73°F | 49°F | 60.8°F | – | 2 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 35°F | 46.1°F | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 21°F | 30.3°F | – | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 26°F | 8°F | 16.9°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 33°F | 43.2°F | – | 15 | 176 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −17°C | −11.2°C |
| February | −4°C | −15°C | −9.5°C |
| March | 3°C | −7°C | −1.8°C |
| April | 13°C | 0°C | 6.4°C |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C |
| June | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C |
| July | 28°C | 16°C | 22.1°C |
| August | 28°C | 14°C | 21.0°C |
| September | 23°C | 9°C | 16.0°C |
| October | 14°C | 2°C | 7.8°C |
| November | 4°C | −6°C | −0.9°C |
| December | −4°C | −13°C | −8.4°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fullerton (12 miles away), gets 37 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00322605; 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 Ellendale?
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 USC00322605.
When is the last frost in Ellendale?
In Ellendale, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 2 in half of years and before September 21 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 41 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 21 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 149 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 167 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 27 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ellendale in zone 4b in ZIP code 58436, 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 USC00322605; 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 Ellendale?
In a normal year in Ellendale, 15 days a year reach 90°F and 176 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 15a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 176a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 84high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 112°F, on July 6, 1936; the lowest is −41°F, on January 31, 1893.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1942, with 33.68 in; the snowiest season is 1993–94, with 103.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00322605; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00322605. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ellendale?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ellendale, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (84%) and November the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81% | 1.9 |
| February | 84% | 3.0 |
| March | 77% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.7 |
| June | 76% | 6.4 |
| July | 84% | 6.6 |
| August | 82% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.2 |
| October | 70% | 2.7 |
| November | 70% | 1.7 |
| December | 70% | 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 Ellendale need?
A normal year in Ellendale brings 8,501 heating degree days, 58% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 608 cooling degree days, 33% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,522 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,651 | 0 |
| February | 1,403 | 0 |
| March | 1,124 | 0 |
| April | 646 | 1 |
| May | 276 | 31 |
| June | 60 | 120 |
| July | 15 | 225 |
| August | 29 | 176 |
| September | 180 | 52 |
| October | 590 | 4 |
| November | 1,039 | 0 |
| December | 1,489 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,501 | 608 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00322605. 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 Ellendale's climate compare?
Ellendale is warmer than 83 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 43.2°F is warmer than 13%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Ellendale 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.
- Frederick, SD209 people · 12 mi S
- Spring Creek Colony, SD161 people · 18 mi SW
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 Ellendale's climate
What is the coldest month in Ellendale?
January, with a normal high of 21°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Ellendale?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Ellendale's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fullerton (12 miles away), records 37 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Ellendale in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ellendale in zone 4b in ZIP code 58436, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Ellendale?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 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
- Fullerton, ND12 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Columbia, SD22 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Oakes, ND23 miles from this station, 41.6°F a year
- La Moure, ND27 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made