Riverdale, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Riverdale's normal year runs from 3°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.4°C, January lows of −16°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationRiverdale
- Station IDUSC00327585
- Location47.49°N 101.38°W
- Elevation1,962 ft (598 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population222
On October 23, the normal high in Riverdale is 50°F and the normal low 32°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Riverdale.
- Jan 20° 3°
- Feb 24° 7°
- Mar 37° 18°
- Apr 52° 31°
- May 65° 42°
- Jun 74° 53°
- Jul 81° 59°
- Aug 80° 57°
- Sep 71° 48°
- Oct 54° 36°
- Nov 37° 21°
- Dec 25° 11°
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 Riverdale each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 3°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°F | 3°F | 11.7°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 24°F | 7°F | 15.1°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 37°F | 18°F | 27.3°F | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 52°F | 31°F | 41.5°F | – | <1 | 17 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 65°F | 42°F | 53.5°F | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 74°F | 53°F | 63.5°F | – | 1 | <1 | 16 h |
| July | 81°F | 59°F | 69.6°F | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 80°F | 57°F | 68.3°F | – | 5 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 71°F | 48°F | 59.4°F | – | 2 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 54°F | 36°F | 44.7°F | – | <1 | 11 | 11 h |
| November | 37°F | 21°F | 29.2°F | – | <1 | 25 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 25°F | 11°F | 18.1°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 52°F | 32°F | 41.8°F | – | 13 | 178 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7°C | −16°C | −11.3°C |
| February | −5°C | −14°C | −9.4°C |
| March | 3°C | −8°C | −2.6°C |
| April | 11°C | −1°C | 5.3°C |
| May | 18°C | 6°C | 11.9°C |
| June | 23°C | 12°C | 17.5°C |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C |
| August | 27°C | 14°C | 20.2°C |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.2°C |
| October | 12°C | 2°C | 7.1°C |
| November | 3°C | −6°C | −1.6°C |
| December | −4°C | −11°C | −7.7°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Underwood (11 miles away), gets 39 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327585; 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 Riverdale?
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 USC00327585.
When is the last frost in Riverdale?
In Riverdale, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 20 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 121 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 143 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 163 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 12 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Riverdale in zone 4a in ZIP code 58565.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in North Dakota · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00327585; 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 Riverdale?
In a normal year in Riverdale, 13 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 178 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 13a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 178a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 83high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 105°F, on July 22, 2007; the lowest is −40°F, on January 8, 1977.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1956, with 23.77 in; the snowiest season is 1968–69, with 36.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00327585; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00327585. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Riverdale?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Riverdale, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and November the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81% | 1.8 |
| February | 83% | 2.9 |
| March | 77% | 3.9 |
| April | 72% | 4.8 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 76% | 6.3 |
| July | 84% | 6.7 |
| August | 82% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.1 |
| October | 70% | 2.6 |
| November | 68% | 1.6 |
| December | 68% | 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 Riverdale need?
A normal year in Riverdale brings 8,812 heating degree days, 64% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 403 cooling degree days, 56% 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 2,146 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,653 | 0 |
| February | 1,397 | 0 |
| March | 1,169 | 0 |
| April | 705 | 0 |
| May | 363 | 8 |
| June | 101 | 55 |
| July | 21 | 164 |
| August | 36 | 137 |
| September | 205 | 38 |
| October | 632 | 2 |
| November | 1,074 | 0 |
| December | 1,455 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,812 | 403 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327585. 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 Riverdale's climate compare?
Riverdale is warmer than 57 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 41.8°F is warmer than 9%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Riverdale 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.
- Stanton, ND363 people · 12 mi S
- Pick City, ND132 people · 4 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 Riverdale's climate
What is the coldest month in Riverdale?
January, with a normal high of 20°F and a normal low of 3°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Riverdale?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Riverdale's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Underwood (11 miles away), records 39 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Riverdale in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Riverdale in zone 4a in ZIP code 58565.
How late can frost come in Riverdale?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 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
- Garrison, ND11 miles from this station, 41.0°F a year
- Underwood, ND11 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Washburn, ND21 miles from this station, 42.3°F a year
- Turtle Lake, ND23 miles from this station, 41.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made