Rolette, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Rolette's normal year runs from −8°F January nights to 78°F July afternoons, with 20.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 2.3°C, January lows of −22°C, July highs of 25°C, 514 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationRolette (3 mi SE)
- Station IDUSC00327655
- Location48.63°N 99.81°W
- Elevation1,620 ft (494 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population460
On October 23, the normal high in Rolette is 46°F and the normal low 24°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Rolette.
- Jan 13° -8°
- Feb 18° -5°
- Mar 31° 9°
- Apr 50° 25°
- May 64° 38°
- Jun 73° 50°
- Jul 78° 54°
- Aug 77° 50°
- Sep 68° 41°
- Oct 50° 27°
- Nov 32° 13°
- Dec 18° -1°
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 Rolette each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 78°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of −8°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.14 in), the least in January (0.48 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°F | −8°F | 2.5°F | 0.48 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| February | 18°F | −5°F | 6.4°F | 0.49 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 31°F | 9°F | 20.0°F | 0.91 | – | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 50°F | 25°F | 37.4°F | 1.21 | – | <1 | 23 | 13 h 40 min |
| May | 64°F | 38°F | 51.3°F | 2.81 | – | <1 | 9 | 15 h 10 min |
| June | 73°F | 50°F | 61.3°F | 4.14 | – | 1 | <1 | 16 h 10 min |
| July | 78°F | 54°F | 65.9°F | 3.02 | – | 2 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| August | 77°F | 50°F | 63.8°F | 2.25 | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| September | 68°F | 41°F | 54.6°F | 1.89 | – | 1 | 3 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 50°F | 27°F | 38.7°F | 1.42 | – | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| November | 32°F | 13°F | 22.5°F | 0.74 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| December | 18°F | −1°F | 8.3°F | 0.86 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 48°F | 25°F | 36.1°F | 20.22 | – | 6 | 206 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −11°C | −22°C | −16.4°C | 12 mm |
| February | −8°C | −21°C | −14.2°C | 12 mm |
| March | −1°C | −13°C | −6.7°C | 23 mm |
| April | 10°C | −4°C | 3.0°C | 31 mm |
| May | 18°C | 4°C | 10.7°C | 71 mm |
| June | 23°C | 10°C | 16.3°C | 105 mm |
| July | 25°C | 12°C | 18.8°C | 77 mm |
| August | 25°C | 10°C | 17.7°C | 57 mm |
| September | 20°C | 5°C | 12.6°C | 48 mm |
| October | 10°C | −3°C | 3.7°C | 36 mm |
| November | 0°C | −11°C | −5.3°C | 19 mm |
| December | −8°C | −18°C | −13.2°C | 22 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Rugby (21 miles away), gets 43 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327655; 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 Rolette?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in 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 USC00327655.
When is the last frost in Rolette?
In Rolette, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 22 in half of years and after June 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 20 in half of years and before September 5 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 221 year in 10 after June 3; 9 in 10 after May 10
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 201 year in 10 before September 5; 9 in 10 before October 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 120 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 138 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before September 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rolette in zone 3b in ZIP code 58366, 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 USC00327655; 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 Rolette?
In a normal year in Rolette, 6 days a year reach 90°F and 206 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 206a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 111high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00327655.
How sunny is Rolette?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Rolette, 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 Rolette need?
A normal year in Rolette brings 10,714 heating degree days, 99% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 207 cooling degree days, 77% 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 1,620 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,939 | 0 |
| February | 1,641 | 0 |
| March | 1,394 | 0 |
| April | 828 | 0 |
| May | 431 | 5 |
| June | 145 | 34 |
| July | 61 | 89 |
| August | 103 | 66 |
| September | 326 | 13 |
| October | 814 | 0 |
| November | 1,275 | 0 |
| December | 1,758 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,714 | 207 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00327655. 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.
Has Rolette been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 39.5°F, 3.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 36.1°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38.7°F | +2.6°F | 13.12 |
| 2024 | 39.5°F | +3.4°F | 24.31 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00327655. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Rolette's climate compare?
Rolette is warmer than 0 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 52. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 36.1°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Rolette 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 Rolette share this climate record?
3 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.
- Bisbee, ND102 people · 20 mi E
- Wolford, ND41 people · 10 mi SE
- Mylo, ND20 people · 9 mi E
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 Rolette's climate
What is the coldest month in Rolette?
January, with a normal high of 13°F and a normal low of −8°F. The warmest is July (78°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow in Rolette?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Rolette's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Rugby (21 miles away), records 43 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Rolette?
June, with 4.14 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.48 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Rolette in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Rolette in zone 3b in ZIP code 58366, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Rolette?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 22; in one year in ten it comes after June 3. Waiting until June 3 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
- Belcourt, ND15 miles from this station, 38.2°F a year
- Rolla, ND20 miles from this station, 36.5°F a year
- Rugby, ND21 miles from this station, 38.8°F a year
- Willow City, ND22 miles from this station, 37.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made