Wishek, North Dakota climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Wishek's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 5.1°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 27°C.
- NOAA stationWishek
- Station IDUSC00329515
- Location46.26°N 99.56°W
- Elevation2,037 ft (621 m)
- Population830
On October 23, the normal high in Wishek is 52°F and the normal low 29°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Wishek.
- Jan 22° 0°
- Feb 25° 4°
- Mar 38° 16°
- Apr 53° 29°
- May 66° 41°
- Jun 75° 51°
- Jul 81° 56°
- Aug 81° 53°
- Sep 72° 45°
- Oct 56° 32°
- Nov 40° 17°
- Dec 27° 8°
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 Wishek each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 0°F | 11.3°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| February | 25°F | 4°F | 14.8°F | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 38°F | 16°F | 26.9°F | – | <1 | 29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 53°F | 29°F | 40.7°F | – | <1 | 19 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 66°F | 41°F | 53.7°F | – | <1 | 5 | 15 h |
| June | 75°F | 51°F | 63.1°F | – | 1 | <1 | 15 h 50 min |
| July | 81°F | 56°F | 68.9°F | – | 5 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| August | 81°F | 53°F | 67.0°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 72°F | 45°F | 58.1°F | – | 1 | 2 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 56°F | 32°F | 43.9°F | – | <1 | 17 | 11 h |
| November | 40°F | 17°F | 28.5°F | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| December | 27°F | 8°F | 17.1°F | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 53°F | 29°F | 41.2°F | – | 11 | 190 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −5°C | −18°C | −11.5°C |
| February | −4°C | −15°C | −9.6°C |
| March | 3°C | −9°C | −2.8°C |
| April | 11°C | −2°C | 4.8°C |
| May | 19°C | 5°C | 12.1°C |
| June | 24°C | 11°C | 17.3°C |
| July | 27°C | 14°C | 20.5°C |
| August | 27°C | 12°C | 19.4°C |
| September | 22°C | 7°C | 14.5°C |
| October | 13°C | 0°C | 6.6°C |
| November | 4°C | −8°C | −1.9°C |
| December | −3°C | −14°C | −8.3°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Ashley (18 miles away), gets 42 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00329515; 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 Wishek?
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 USC00329515.
When is the last frost in Wishek?
In Wishek, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 28 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 27 in half of years and before September 15 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 131 year in 10 after May 28; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 271 year in 10 before September 15; 9 in 10 before October 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 135 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 154 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Wishek in zone 4a in ZIP code 58495, 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 USC00329515; 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 Wishek?
In a normal year in Wishek, 11 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 190 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 190a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 89high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00329515.
How sunny is Wishek?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Wishek, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. February is the sunniest month (84%) and November the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81% | 1.9 |
| February | 84% | 3.0 |
| March | 77% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.7 |
| June | 76% | 6.4 |
| July | 84% | 6.6 |
| August | 82% | 5.5 |
| September | 78% | 4.2 |
| October | 70% | 2.7 |
| November | 70% | 1.7 |
| December | 70% | 1.3 |
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 Wishek need?
A normal year in Wishek brings 9,017 heating degree days, 68% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 371 cooling degree days, 59% 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 2,046 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,665 | 0 |
| February | 1,405 | 0 |
| March | 1,181 | 0 |
| April | 729 | 0 |
| May | 363 | 11 |
| June | 113 | 57 |
| July | 34 | 155 |
| August | 52 | 115 |
| September | 239 | 32 |
| October | 655 | 1 |
| November | 1,097 | 0 |
| December | 1,485 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 9,017 | 371 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00329515. 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 Wishek's climate compare?
Wishek is warmer than 45 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 41.2°F is warmer than 8%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Wishek share this climate record?
Lehr 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.
- Lehr, ND78 people · 10 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 Wishek's climate
What is the coldest month in Wishek?
January, with a normal high of 22°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 56°F at night).
Does it snow in Wishek?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Wishek's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Ashley (18 miles away), records 42 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Wishek in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Wishek in zone 4a in ZIP code 58495, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Wishek?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; in one year in ten it comes after May 28. Waiting until May 28 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
- Ashley, ND17 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Napoleon, ND20 miles from this station, 41.2°F a year
- Streeter, ND32 miles from this station, 40.9°F a year
- Linton, ND32 miles from this station, 42.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made