North Dakota climate: Statewide normals, its places and each month, NOAA 1991-2020
North Dakota's statewide normal is 41.0°F a year with 18.9 inches of precipitation (NOAA nClimDiv, 1991-2020); it has warmed 2.6°F per century since 1895, and 1987 was its warmest year.
- Statewide normal temperature
- 41.0°Fyear, 1991-2020
- Statewide normal precipitation
- 18.9 inyear, 1991-2020
- Last five years against normal
- +1.2°F2021-2025 mean 42.2°F
- Places with normals
- 12592 Census places, 33 other stations
What is North Dakota's weather like each month?
Statewide, July is the warmest month and January the coldest. Each month has its own page with the warmest and coolest places that month:
- Jan20°1°
- Feb24°5°
- Mar37°17°
- Apr53°29°
- May66°41°
- Jun76°52°
- Jul82°56°
- Aug81°54°
- Sep71°45°
- Oct55°32°
- Nov37°18°
- Dec24°7°
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°F | 1°F | 10.4°F | 0.47 |
| February | 24°F | 5°F | 14.6°F | 0.47 |
| March | 37°F | 17°F | 27.0°F | 0.74 |
| April | 53°F | 29°F | 41.2°F | 1.25 |
| May | 66°F | 41°F | 53.7°F | 2.72 |
| June | 76°F | 52°F | 63.6°F | 3.48 |
| July | 82°F | 56°F | 69.0°F | 2.97 |
| August | 81°F | 54°F | 67.5°F | 2.17 |
| September | 71°F | 45°F | 57.9°F | 1.87 |
| October | 55°F | 32°F | 43.3°F | 1.50 |
| November | 37°F | 18°F | 27.9°F | 0.64 |
| December | 24°F | 7°F | 15.6°F | 0.58 |
Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide series (Climate at a Glance); data files. Statewide values are area-weighted from a 5 km grid of station data, so they differ from the simple average of a state's stations.
Has North Dakota been warmer than normal?
4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the 1991-2020 statewide normal of 41.0°F. The record since 1895 rises at a fitted 2.6°F per century; the warmest year was 1987 (45.0°F).
| Year | Mean | Against normal |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43.8°F | +2.8°F |
| 2022 | 39.4°F | −1.5°F |
| 2023 | 42.0°F | +1.0°F |
| 2024 | 43.8°F | +2.8°F |
| 2025 | 42.0°F | +1.0°F |
Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv statewide annual series.
Where is it warmest, wettest and snowiest in North Dakota?
Among the places PlainClimate covers, Enderlin has the warmest year (45.0°F) and Rolette the coolest (36.1°F); La Moure is the wettest (24.7 in) and Hettinger the driest (14.3 in), and McHenry (3 mi W) gets the most snow (60 in).
| Place | Year | July high | January low | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 42.2°F | 82°F | 0°F | 23.9 | 51 | May 10 |
| Bismarck | 43.1°F | 85°F | 2°F | 19.1 | 51 | May 14 |
| Grand Forks | 39.8°F | 81°F | −3°F | 21.7 | 48 | May 16 |
| Minot | 43.4°F | 84°F | 4°F | 16.7 | 45 | May 10 |
| Williston | 41.7°F | 85°F | 1°F | 15.1 | 48 | May 21 |
| Dickinson | 42.0°F | 83°F | 3°F | 17.6 | – | May 20 |
| Mandan | 42.4°F | 83°F | 3°F | 18.4 | – | May 13 |
| Jamestown | 41.3°F | 81°F | 1°F | 19.8 | – | May 11 |
| Devils Lake | 40.2°F | 79°F | −2°F | 20.0 | – | May 6 |
| Valley City | 40.5°F | 81°F | −2°F | 21.5 | – | May 13 |
| Watford City | 42.1°F | 82°F | 5°F | 15.7 | 50 | May 9 |
| Grafton | 42.0°F | 81°F | 0°F | – | – | May 4 |
| Beulah | 43.2°F | 86°F | 3°F | 16.9 | – | May 21 |
| Casselton | 41.1°F | 81°F | −1°F | 24.2 | 37 | May 9 |
| Rugby | 38.8°F | 80°F | −4°F | 21.0 | 43 | May 17 |
| Stanley | 38.7°F | 80°F | −1°F | 19.3 | 47 | May 17 |
| Bottineau | 38.6°F | 79°F | −4°F | 19.2 | 50 | May 15 |
| Tioga | 42.0°F | 83°F | 2°F | 15.4 | 44 | May 11 |
| Lisbon | 41.4°F | 82°F | 0°F | 22.3 | 47 | May 12 |
| Carrington | 39.8°F | 79°F | 0°F | – | – | May 10 |
| Langdon | 37.1°F | 77°F | −5°F | 20.8 | 47 | May 17 |
| Mayville | 39.4°F | 80°F | −4°F | 23.9 | – | May 13 |
| Oakes | 41.6°F | 83°F | 0°F | – | – | May 8 |
| Belcourt | 38.2°F | 79°F | −5°F | 20.1 | – | May 19 |
| Hillsboro | 42.6°F | 81°F | 1°F | 22.3 | – | May 2 |
| Harvey | 39.8°F | 81°F | −2°F | 19.3 | – | May 12 |
| Garrison | 41.0°F | 81°F | 2°F | 17.8 | – | May 14 |
| Bowman | 42.3°F | 83°F | 7°F | 17.1 | 48 | May 16 |
| Washburn | 42.3°F | 83°F | 2°F | 17.7 | 43 | May 12 |
| Larimore | 39.7°F | 80°F | −4°F | – | – | May 11 |
| Cavalier | 38.1°F | 78°F | −4°F | 20.0 | 39 | May 12 |
| Rolla | 36.5°F | 75°F | −3°F | 19.6 | – | May 20 |
| Ellendale | 43.2°F | 83°F | 2°F | – | – | May 4 |
| New Salem | 41.5°F | 83°F | 2°F | 18.3 | 45 | May 18 |
| Hettinger | 42.4°F | 84°F | 5°F | 14.3 | – | May 24 |
| Velva | 39.3°F | 80°F | −3°F | 19.2 | 41 | May 22 |
| Linton | 42.9°F | 85°F | 1°F | – | – | May 12 |
| Crosby | 40.2°F | 81°F | 0°F | 16.1 | 41 | May 17 |
| Beach | 43.7°F | 85°F | 6°F | 16.5 | – | May 16 |
| Cooperstown | 39.3°F | 79°F | −3°F | 22.0 | 42 | May 17 |
| Kenmare | 39.6°F | 80°F | 0°F | 19.5 | – | May 15 |
| Killdeer | 42.3°F | 83°F | 4°F | 18.1 | 39 | May 21 |
| Enderlin | 45.0°F | 85°F | 3°F | 23.6 | – | May 3 |
| Wishek | 41.2°F | 81°F | 0°F | – | – | May 13 |
| Hebron | 41.5°F | 82°F | 3°F | 18.4 | 41 | May 19 |
| Underwood | 40.8°F | 82°F | 1°F | 18.0 | 39 | May 10 |
| Napoleon | 41.2°F | 82°F | 1°F | 20.7 | 53 | May 13 |
| Mohall | 38.3°F | 79°F | −2°F | 18.2 | – | May 17 |
| Wilton | 40.6°F | 80°F | 1°F | – | – | May 11 |
| New England | 43.3°F | 84°F | 6°F | 15.9 | 44 | May 16 |
| Richardton | 43.3°F | 83°F | 7°F | 16.3 | 33 | May 9 |
| Steele | 41.6°F | 82°F | 1°F | 21.4 | – | May 15 |
| Mott | 42.8°F | 85°F | 4°F | 17.2 | – | May 16 |
| Ashley | 41.3°F | 81°F | 1°F | 20.7 | 42 | May 13 |
| Lidgerwood | 42.9°F | 82°F | 2°F | 24.2 | – | May 2 |
| Center | 42.6°F | 82°F | 5°F | 18.9 | – | May 11 |
| Edgeley | 42.5°F | 81°F | 4°F | 21.1 | – | May 7 |
| Turtle Lake | 41.1°F | 83°F | 1°F | 18.2 | 44 | May 14 |
| Pembina | 38.4°F | 79°F | −5°F | 22.1 | – | May 16 |
| Forman | 41.5°F | 81°F | −1°F | 23.2 | – | May 7 |
| Rolette | 36.1°F | 78°F | −8°F | 20.2 | – | May 22 |
| Towner | 39.9°F | 83°F | −4°F | 17.7 | 39 | May 17 |
| Fessenden | 40.9°F | 80°F | 1°F | 17.3 | 34 | May 13 |
| Leeds | 38.7°F | 80°F | −3°F | 21.0 | – | May 15 |
| Powers Lake | 38.2°F | 80°F | −3°F | – | – | May 18 |
| Westhope | 40.2°F | 82°F | −2°F | 18.8 | – | May 14 |
| Max | 40.5°F | 81°F | 0°F | 18.7 | 49 | May 10 |
| Gackle | 42.1°F | 81°F | 2°F | – | – | May 6 |
| Drake | 39.5°F | 81°F | −3°F | 18.1 | – | May 12 |
| Carson | 42.2°F | 83°F | 4°F | – | – | May 19 |
| Granville | 42.2°F | 85°F | 3°F | – | – | May 9 |
| Flasher | 42.8°F | 84°F | 3°F | 18.5 | – | May 13 |
| Dunn Center | 41.4°F | 84°F | 0°F | 16.8 | – | May 20 |
| Taylor | 42.5°F | 84°F | 4°F | 16.2 | 35 | May 23 |
| Riverdale | 41.8°F | 81°F | 3°F | – | – | May 12 |
| Hazelton | 41.0°F | 81°F | 2°F | 19.0 | 45 | May 12 |
| Minnewaukan | 39.5°F | 79°F | −1°F | 19.7 | – | May 12 |
| Medora | 43.3°F | 82°F | 9°F | 17.4 | – | May 9 |
| Petersburg | 38.6°F | 79°F | −4°F | 20.2 | 43 | May 11 |
| Streeter | 40.9°F | 80°F | 1°F | 19.8 | 49 | May 13 |
| Willow City | 37.6°F | 80°F | −6°F | 18.9 | – | May 21 |
| Edmore | 37.3°F | 78°F | −6°F | 21.9 | 38 | May 15 |
| Upham | 39.5°F | 81°F | −4°F | 18.8 | 49 | May 15 |
| Wildrose | 38.8°F | 79°F | −2°F | 16.6 | 37 | May 18 |
| Almont | 43.1°F | 85°F | 3°F | – | – | May 17 |
| Esmond | 39.1°F | 80°F | −4°F | – | – | May 11 |
| Butte | 41.0°F | 81°F | 1°F | – | – | May 16 |
| Fullerton | 42.9°F | 82°F | 2°F | 24.3 | 37 | May 9 |
| Foxholm | 42.2°F | 84°F | 2°F | 17.6 | – | May 11 |
| Fortuna | 38.3°F | 80°F | −2°F | 15.3 | 37 | May 19 |
| Amidon | 44.5°F | 86°F | 7°F | – | – | May 12 |
| Hansboro | 38.6°F | 81°F | −5°F | 19.0 | 38 | May 18 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
What are North Dakota's all-time weather records?
The official state records, reviewed by NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee: from 121°F to −60°F.
| Record | Value | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest temperature | 121°F | Steele | July 6, 1936 |
| Lowest temperature | −60°F | Parshall | February 15, 1936 |
| Most precipitation in 24 hours | 8.1 in | Litchville | June 29, 1975 |
| Most snow in 24 hours | 27 in | Minot Airport | April 27, 1984 |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 65 in | Berlin (tied 2 times; the latest shown) | March 12, 1897 |
Source: NOAA NCEI State Climate Extremes Committee records.
Which other NOAA stations in North Dakota keep normals?
33 stations in North Dakota that are not a town's own record keep 1991-2020 normals too: reservoirs and dams, parks and forests, research farms, remote sites and the second stations of towns (those are shown on the town's page). Each with its normal yearly mean:
- Bismarck (2.4 mi NNW)42.3°F
- Bismarck Weather Office42.8°F
- Breien43.3°F
- Carrington (4 mi N)40.6°F
- Colgate38.7°F
- Devils Lake station39.3°F
- Dickinson Ranch Headquarters42.1°F
- Edmunds Arrowwood Ref42.2°F
- Fairfield42.5°F
- Fargo (3 mi S)41.4°F
- Garrison station41.5°F
- Grand Forks University (NWS)40.5°F
- Grassy Butte (2 mi ENE)42.4°F
- Heart Butte Dam42.6°F
- Hettinger Experiment Station42.8°F
- Jamestown (38 mi WSW)40.3°F
- Jamestown State Hosp41.3°F
- Keene (3 mi S)42.3°F
- La Moure42.3°F
- Lake Metigoshe State Park37.1°F
- McClusky43.9°F
- McHenry (3 mi W)40.4°F
- McLeod (3 mi E)42.2°F
- Medora station43.1°F
- Minot Experiment Station40.1°F
- Moffit (3 mi SE)43.6°F
- Northgate (5 mi ESE)37.9°F
- Pretty Rock43.5°F
- Theodore Roosevelt Airport42.8°F
- Trotters (3 mi SSE)43.6°F
- Tuttle (12 mi NNE)39.2°F
- Watford City (14 mi S)42.4°F
- Williston Experiment Farm43.4°F
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station.
Next
- Frost dates in North DakotaLast spring and first autumn frost at every station
- Every stateCompare the statewide normals
- Enderlin45.0°F a year, 23.6 in of precipitation
- Rolette36.1°F a year, 20.2 in of precipitation
- La Moure42.3°F a year, 24.7 in of precipitation
- McHenry (3 mi W)40.4°F a year, 21.1 in of precipitation
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