Petersburg, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Petersburg's normal year runs from −4°F January nights to 79°F July afternoons, with 20.2 inches of precipitation and 43 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.7°C, January lows of −20°C, July highs of 26°C, 514 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPetersburg (2 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00327027
- Location48.04°N 98.01°W
- Elevation1,532 ft (467 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population159
On October 23, the normal high in Petersburg is 48°F and the normal low 28°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Petersburg.
- Jan 14° -4°
- Feb 19° -1°
- Mar 31° 13°
- Apr 50° 28°
- May 65° 42°
- Jun 74° 53°
- Jul 79° 58°
- Aug 78° 55°
- Sep 69° 45°
- Oct 52° 32°
- Nov 34° 17°
- Dec 20° 4°
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 Petersburg each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 79°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −4°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.84 in), the least in January (0.44 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°F | −4°F | 4.8°F | 0.44 | 6.3 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 19°F | −1°F | 9.0°F | 0.45 | 7.7 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 31°F | 13°F | 22.2°F | 0.50 | 7.7 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 28°F | 39.0°F | 0.94 | 2.2 | 5 | <1 | 20 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 65°F | 42°F | 53.4°F | 2.79 | 0.6 | 9 | <1 | 5 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 74°F | 53°F | 63.7°F | 3.84 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 79°F | 58°F | 68.2°F | 3.61 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 78°F | 55°F | 66.6°F | 2.51 | 0.0 | 7 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 69°F | 45°F | 57.0°F | 2.12 | 0.0 | 7 | <1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 52°F | 32°F | 42.0°F | 1.66 | 2.2 | 7 | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 34°F | 17°F | 25.6°F | 0.73 | 4.9 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 20°F | 4°F | 11.8°F | 0.64 | 10.9 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 49°F | 29°F | 38.6°F | 20.23 | 42.5 | 71 | 5 | 192 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −10°C | −20°C | −15.1°C | 11 mm | 16 cm |
| February | −7°C | −18°C | −12.8°C | 11 mm | 20 cm |
| March | 0°C | −10°C | −5.4°C | 13 mm | 20 cm |
| April | 10°C | −2°C | 3.9°C | 24 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 71 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 17.6°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 13°C | 19.2°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 11°C | 0°C | 5.6°C | 42 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 1°C | −8°C | −3.6°C | 19 mm | 12 cm |
| December | −7°C | −16°C | −11.2°C | 16 mm | 28 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327027; 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 Petersburg?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00327027.
When is the last frost in Petersburg?
In Petersburg, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 25 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 111 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 281 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Petersburg in zone 4a in ZIP code 58272, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Petersburg's NOAA station is in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (23 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00327027; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Petersburg?
In a normal year in Petersburg, 5 days a year reach 90°F, 192 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 71 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 192a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 112high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 71a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1944) is 103°F, on June 5, 2021; the lowest is −44°F, on February 1, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1991, with 27.01 in; the snowiest season is 1985–86, with 72.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00327027; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00327027. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Petersburg?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Petersburg, 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 Petersburg need?
A normal year in Petersburg brings 9,920 heating degree days, 85% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 344 cooling degree days, 62% 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 1,982 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,868 | 0 |
| February | 1,569 | 0 |
| March | 1,325 | 0 |
| April | 779 | 0 |
| May | 372 | 13 |
| June | 106 | 67 |
| July | 35 | 135 |
| August | 55 | 104 |
| September | 263 | 24 |
| October | 714 | 1 |
| November | 1,184 | 0 |
| December | 1,651 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,920 | 344 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327027. 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 Petersburg's climate compare?
Petersburg is warmer than 11 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 53. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 38.6°F is warmer than 4%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Petersburg 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 Petersburg share this climate record?
8 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.
- Lakota, ND687 people · 16 mi W
- McVille, ND387 people · 20 mi S
- Michigan City, ND260 people · 5 mi W
- Fordville, ND201 people · 16 mi NE
- Lankin, ND103 people · 20 mi N
- Niagara, ND42 people · 7 mi E
- Inkster, ND37 people · 19 mi NE
- Dahlen, ND25 people · 9 mi NE
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 Petersburg's climate
What is the coldest month in Petersburg?
January, with a normal high of 14°F and a normal low of −4°F. The warmest is July (79°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Petersburg?
Yes: 43 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (10.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Petersburg?
June, with 3.84 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.44 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Petersburg in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Petersburg in zone 4a in ZIP code 58272, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Petersburg's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −28°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 4a.
How late can frost come in Petersburg?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; 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
- Larimore, ND18 miles from this station, 39.7°F a year
- Edmore, ND37 miles from this station, 37.3°F a year
- Grafton, ND38 miles from this station, 42.0°F a year
- Grand Forks, ND39 miles from this station, 39.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made