Washburn, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Washburn's normal year runs from 2°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 17.7 inches of precipitation and 43 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.7°C, January lows of −17°C, July highs of 28°C, 449 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWashburn
- Station IDUSC00329195
- Location47.30°N 101.03°W
- Elevation1,755 ft (535 m)
- Population1,275
On October 22, the normal high in Washburn is 53°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Washburn.
- Jan 22° 2°
- Feb 27° 5°
- Mar 40° 18°
- Apr 55° 30°
- May 67° 42°
- Jun 76° 52°
- Jul 83° 57°
- Aug 83° 55°
- Sep 73° 46°
- Oct 57° 32°
- Nov 40° 19°
- Dec 27° 9°
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 Washburn each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 2°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.24 in), the least in January (0.39 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 2°F | 12.0°F | 0.39 | 7.2 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| February | 27°F | 5°F | 16.1°F | 0.47 | 6.4 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 10 min |
| March | 40°F | 18°F | 28.5°F | 0.56 | 6.9 | 5 | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 30°F | 42.6°F | 1.49 | 4.1 | 5 | <1 | 16 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 67°F | 42°F | 54.4°F | 2.82 | 0.9 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 15 h |
| June | 76°F | 52°F | 64.2°F | 3.24 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 83°F | 57°F | 70.0°F | 2.49 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 40 min |
| August | 83°F | 55°F | 68.8°F | 2.20 | 0.0 | 6 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| September | 73°F | 46°F | 59.4°F | 1.46 | 0.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 57°F | 32°F | 44.7°F | 1.41 | 2.4 | 5 | <1 | 15 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 19°F | 29.7°F | 0.69 | 6.6 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| December | 27°F | 9°F | 17.8°F | 0.45 | 8.6 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 8 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 54°F | 31°F | 42.3°F | 17.67 | 43.1 | 74 | 17 | 182 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6°C | −17°C | −11.1°C | 10 mm | 18 cm |
| February | −3°C | −15°C | −8.8°C | 12 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 4°C | −8°C | −1.9°C | 14 mm | 18 cm |
| April | 13°C | −1°C | 5.9°C | 38 mm | 10 cm |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 12.4°C | 72 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 25°C | 11°C | 17.9°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 14°C | 21.1°C | 63 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 13°C | 20.4°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 8°C | 15.2°C | 37 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 14°C | 0°C | 7.1°C | 36 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 5°C | −7°C | −1.3°C | 18 mm | 17 cm |
| December | −3°C | −13°C | −7.9°C | 11 mm | 22 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00329195; 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 Washburn?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00329195.
When is the last frost in Washburn?
In Washburn, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 30 in half of years and before September 18 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 25; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 301 year in 10 before September 18; 9 in 10 before October 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 140 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 159 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Washburn in zone 4a in ZIP code 58577, 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 USC00329195; 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 Washburn?
In a normal year in Washburn, 17 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 182 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 74 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 182a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 78high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 74a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 18a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 115°F, on July 7, 1936; the lowest is −45°F, on February 16, 1936.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 24.25 in; the snowiest season is 1949–50, with 90.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00329195; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00329195. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Washburn?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Washburn, 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 Washburn need?
A normal year in Washburn brings 8,676 heating degree days, 61% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 463 cooling degree days, 49% 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 2,229 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,641 | 0 |
| February | 1,371 | 0 |
| March | 1,130 | 0 |
| April | 673 | 0 |
| May | 342 | 13 |
| June | 94 | 70 |
| July | 23 | 178 |
| August | 42 | 158 |
| September | 208 | 41 |
| October | 633 | 2 |
| November | 1,057 | 0 |
| December | 1,463 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 8,676 | 463 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00329195. 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 Washburn's climate compare?
Washburn is warmer than 67 of the other 91 places with their own NOAA record in North Dakota, and wetter than 20. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 42.3°F is warmer than 10%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Washburn 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.
Questions about Washburn's climate
What is the coldest month in Washburn?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 2°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 57°F at night).
Does it snow in Washburn?
Yes: 43 inches in a normal year, falling on 22 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (8.6 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Washburn?
June, with 3.24 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.39 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Washburn in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Washburn in zone 4a in ZIP code 58577, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Washburn?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; 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
- Underwood, ND12 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Wilton, ND15 miles from this station, 40.6°F a year
- Turtle Lake, ND17 miles from this station, 41.1°F a year
- Center, ND18 miles from this station, 42.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made