Powers Lake, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Powers Lake's normal year runs from −3°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 3.4°C, January lows of −19°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationPowers Lake (1 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00327281
- Location48.57°N 102.65°W
- Elevation2,205 ft (672 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population376
On October 23, the normal high in Powers Lake is 48°F and the normal low 24°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Powers Lake.
- Jan 18° -3°
- Feb 21° 0°
- Mar 34° 14°
- Apr 52° 27°
- May 65° 39°
- Jun 73° 49°
- Jul 80° 55°
- Aug 80° 52°
- Sep 69° 41°
- Oct 52° 28°
- Nov 35° 14°
- Dec 22° 2°
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 Powers Lake each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −3°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | −3°F | 7.3°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 21°F | 0°F | 10.7°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 34°F | 14°F | 23.7°F | – | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 27°F | 39.1°F | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 65°F | 39°F | 52.2°F | – | <1 | 7 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 73°F | 49°F | 61.2°F | – | 1 | 1 | 16 h 10 min |
| July | 80°F | 55°F | 67.2°F | – | 3 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| August | 80°F | 52°F | 65.5°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| September | 69°F | 41°F | 54.6°F | – | 1 | 6 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 52°F | 28°F | 39.9°F | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| November | 35°F | 14°F | 24.5°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 22°F | 2°F | 12.0°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 50°F | 26°F | 38.2°F | – | 9 | 208 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −8°C | −19°C | −13.7°C |
| February | −6°C | −18°C | −11.8°C |
| March | 1°C | −10°C | −4.6°C |
| April | 11°C | −3°C | 3.9°C |
| May | 19°C | 4°C | 11.2°C |
| June | 23°C | 9°C | 16.2°C |
| July | 27°C | 13°C | 19.6°C |
| August | 26°C | 11°C | 18.6°C |
| September | 20°C | 5°C | 12.6°C |
| October | 11°C | −2°C | 4.4°C |
| November | 2°C | −10°C | −4.2°C |
| December | −6°C | −17°C | −11.1°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Tioga (17 miles away), gets 44 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327281; 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 Powers Lake?
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 USC00327281.
When is the last frost in Powers Lake?
In Powers Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 18 in half of years and after June 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 17 in half of years and before September 4 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 181 year in 10 after June 1; 9 in 10 after May 6
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 171 year in 10 before September 4; 9 in 10 before September 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 119 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 137 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 10 in half of springs and before September 25 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Powers Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 58773, 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 USC00327281; 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 Powers Lake?
In a normal year in Powers Lake, 9 days a year reach 90°F and 208 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 208a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 101high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1925) is 108°F, on July 25, 1931; the lowest is −55°F, on February 15, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1941, with 30.99 in; the snowiest season is 1978–79, with 86.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00327281; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00327281. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Powers Lake?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Powers Lake, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and November the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82% | 1.7 |
| February | 84% | 2.8 |
| March | 78% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 4.9 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 76% | 6.4 |
| July | 85% | 6.8 |
| August | 83% | 5.5 |
| September | 77% | 4.0 |
| October | 70% | 2.5 |
| November | 69% | 1.5 |
| December | 70% | 1.1 |
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 Powers Lake need?
A normal year in Powers Lake brings 10,028 heating degree days, 87% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 290 cooling degree days, 68% fewer than the median (908). Nine months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,770 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,789 | 0 |
| February | 1,520 | 0 |
| March | 1,279 | 0 |
| April | 778 | 0 |
| May | 405 | 8 |
| June | 159 | 45 |
| July | 49 | 119 |
| August | 84 | 99 |
| September | 328 | 17 |
| October | 780 | 1 |
| November | 1,215 | 0 |
| December | 1,643 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,028 | 290 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327281. 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 Powers Lake's climate compare?
Powers Lake is warmer than 6 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 38.2°F is warmer than 3%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Powers Lake share this climate record?
McGregor has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- McGregor, ND121 people · 13 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 Powers Lake's climate
What is the coldest month in Powers Lake?
January, with a normal high of 18°F and a normal low of −3°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 55°F at night).
Does it snow in Powers Lake?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Powers Lake's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Tioga (17 miles away), records 44 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Powers Lake in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Powers Lake in zone 4a in ZIP code 58773, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Powers Lake?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 18; in one year in ten it comes after June 1. Waiting until June 1 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
- Tioga, ND17 miles from this station, 42.0°F a year
- Stanley, ND19 miles from this station, 38.7°F a year
- Kenmare, ND26 miles from this station, 39.6°F a year
- Wildrose, ND27 miles from this station, 38.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made