Oakes, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Oakes's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.3°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationOakes
- Station IDUSC00326620
- Location46.15°N 98.09°W
- Elevation1,324 ft (404 m)
- Population1,777
On October 22, the normal high in Oakes is 53°F and the normal low 30°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Oakes.
- Jan 19° 0°
- Feb 25° 3°
- Mar 38° 16°
- Apr 54° 29°
- May 68° 43°
- Jun 78° 53°
- Jul 83° 58°
- Aug 81° 55°
- Sep 72° 46°
- Oct 57° 33°
- Nov 38° 18°
- Dec 25° 7°
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 Oakes each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°F | 0°F | 9.3°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 3°F | 13.6°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 16°F | 27.0°F | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 29°F | 41.6°F | – | <1 | 18 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 43°F | 55.6°F | – | 1 | 3 | 15 h |
| June | 78°F | 53°F | 65.5°F | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| July | 83°F | 58°F | 70.7°F | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 55°F | 68.3°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 46°F | 58.9°F | – | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 33°F | 44.7°F | – | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 38°F | 18°F | 28.3°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 25°F | 7°F | 15.8°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 30°F | 41.6°F | – | 14 | 184 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −18°C | −12.6°C |
| February | −4°C | −16°C | −10.2°C |
| March | 3°C | −9°C | −2.8°C |
| April | 12°C | −1°C | 5.3°C |
| May | 20°C | 6°C | 13.1°C |
| June | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C |
| July | 28°C | 15°C | 21.5°C |
| August | 27°C | 13°C | 20.2°C |
| September | 22°C | 8°C | 14.9°C |
| October | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C |
| November | 3°C | −8°C | −2.1°C |
| December | −4°C | −14°C | −9.0°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Fullerton (15 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 USC00326620; 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 Oakes?
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 USC00326620.
When is the last frost in Oakes?
In Oakes, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 8 in half of years and after May 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 28 in half of years and before September 16 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 81 year in 10 after May 21; 9 in 10 after April 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 144 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 30 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Oakes in zone 4a in ZIP code 58474, 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 USC00326620; 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 Oakes?
In a normal year in Oakes, 14 days a year reach 90°F and 184 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 14a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 184a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 90high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1922) is 115°F, on July 6, 1936; the lowest is −46°F, on February 16, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1998, with 33.68 in; the snowiest season is 1996–97, with 127.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00326620; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00326620. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Oakes?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Oakes, 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 Oakes need?
A normal year in Oakes brings 8,963 heating degree days, 67% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 485 cooling degree days, 47% 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 2,285 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,725 | 0 |
| February | 1,438 | 0 |
| March | 1,178 | 0 |
| April | 704 | 0 |
| May | 313 | 22 |
| June | 78 | 93 |
| July | 17 | 194 |
| August | 37 | 140 |
| September | 217 | 36 |
| October | 630 | 2 |
| November | 1,101 | 0 |
| December | 1,525 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,963 | 485 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00326620. 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 Oakes's climate compare?
Oakes is warmer than 54 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 41.6°F is warmer than 9%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Oakes 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.
- Hecla, SD185 people · 18 mi S
- Ludden, ND17 people · 10 mi S
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 Oakes's climate
What is the coldest month in Oakes?
January, with a normal high of 19°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Oakes?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Oakes's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Fullerton (15 miles away), records 37 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Oakes in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Oakes in zone 4a in ZIP code 58474, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Oakes?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 8; in one year in ten it comes after May 21. Waiting until May 21 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, ND15 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- La Moure, ND18 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Ellendale, ND23 miles from this station, 43.2°F a year
- Forman, ND25 miles from this station, 41.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made