Climate of Bismarck, North Dakota facts for kids
| Weather chart for Bismarck, North Dakota | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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0.5
21
-1
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0.5
29
8
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0.9
40
19
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1.5
56
31
|
2.2
69
43
|
2.6
78
52
|
2.6
85
56
|
2.2
83
55
|
1.6
72
44
|
1.3
58
32
|
0.7
38
18
|
0.4
26
5
|
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| temperatures in °F precipitation totals in inches source: NOAA |
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Metric conversion
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Bismarck, a city in North Dakota, U.S., has a humid continental climate. This means it gets all four seasons, with warm summers and cold winters. Its location in the middle of the U.S. and its distance from large oceans cause this type of weather.
Even though it's usually quite dry, Bismarck gets enough rain to avoid being called "semi-arid," which means very dry. You'll notice big changes in temperature, sometimes even over a short time.
Contents
Bismarck's Weather Overview
| Climate data for Bismarck Municipal Airport, North Dakota (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1874–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
73 (23) |
81 (27) |
93 (34) |
102 (39) |
111 (44) |
114 (46) |
109 (43) |
105 (41) |
95 (35) |
79 (26) |
66 (19) |
114 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 23.4 (−4.8) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
40.4 (4.7) |
57.0 (13.9) |
68.4 (20.2) |
77.2 (25.1) |
84.7 (29.3) |
83.5 (28.6) |
72.1 (22.3) |
57.5 (14.2) |
39.6 (4.2) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
54.9 (12.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 12.8 (−10.7) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
43.8 (6.6) |
55.5 (13.1) |
64.7 (18.2) |
71.1 (21.7) |
69.5 (20.8) |
58.5 (14.7) |
44.8 (7.1) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
16.2 (−8.8) |
42.8 (6.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.2 (−16.6) |
7.9 (−13.4) |
19.4 (−7.0) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
42.7 (5.9) |
52.0 (11.1) |
57.4 (14.1) |
55.5 (13.1) |
44.9 (7.2) |
32.2 (0.1) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
6.1 (−14.4) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −45 (−43) |
−45 (−43) |
−36 (−38) |
−12 (−24) |
13 (−11) |
30 (−1) |
32 (0) |
32 (0) |
10 (−12) |
−10 (−23) |
−30 (−34) |
−43 (−42) |
−45 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.43 (11) |
0.51 (13) |
0.87 (22) |
1.26 (32) |
2.40 (61) |
3.17 (81) |
2.89 (73) |
2.28 (58) |
1.59 (40) |
1.25 (32) |
0.71 (18) |
0.49 (12) |
17.85 (453) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.9 (23) |
8.1 (21) |
9.1 (23) |
4.2 (11) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
2.2 (5.6) |
8.8 (22) |
9.3 (24) |
51.2 (130) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 9.7 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.6 | 97.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 9.7 | 8.1 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 45.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 71.3 | 72.4 | 69.9 | 61.8 | 60.1 | 65.0 | 61.8 | 60.6 | 63.7 | 63.8 | 72.0 | 74.5 | 66.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 149.4 | 153.5 | 222.3 | 244.3 | 296.1 | 318.1 | 354.6 | 316.2 | 245.9 | 191.7 | 122.6 | 122.9 | 2,737.6 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 53 | 60 | 60 | 64 | 67 | 74 | 72 | 65 | 57 | 43 | 46 | 61 |
| Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990), The Weather Channel | |||||||||||||
Temperatures in Bismarck
Temperatures in Bismarck can change a lot throughout the year. But during summer, the weather is a bit more steady. You can clearly see all four seasons here, with big differences in how hot or cold it gets.
Warmest and Coldest Months
July is the warmest month in Bismarck. The average high temperature then is about 84.5 degrees Fahrenheit (29.2 degrees Celsius). At night, the temperature usually drops to around 56.4 degrees Fahrenheit (13.6 degrees Celsius).
January is the coldest month. The average high temperature is only 21.1 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.1 degrees Celsius). At night, it often gets very cold, averaging -0.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-18.1 degrees Celsius).
Daily Temperature Changes
Bismarck sees temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) about 21 days each year. From November to March, temperatures only reach above 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) for about 17 days.
In winter, from December to February, the temperature reaches the freezing point (32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius) on about one-third of the days. It gets to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) or colder on about 42 nights each year.
Temperature Records
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Bismarck was a scorching 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.6 degrees Celsius). This happened on July 6, 1936. Temperatures have reached or gone above 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) five times in Bismarck's history.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was a chilly -45 degrees Fahrenheit (-42.8 degrees Celsius). This happened twice: on January 13, 1916, and again on February 16, 1936.
Precipitation in Bismarck
Bismarck's climate is generally dry. On average, it gets only about 16.8 inches (427 millimeters) of precipitation each year.
Wettest and Driest Months
June is usually the wettest month. Most of the rain then comes from thunderstorms. June averages about 2.59 inches (65.8 millimeters) of precipitation.
December is the driest month, with only about 0.44 inches (11.2 millimeters) of precipitation. This usually falls as light, fluffy snow.
Snowfall
In winter, Bismarck gets a good amount of snow. On average, it snows about 49.3 inches (125 centimeters) each year.
The winter of 1996–97 was the snowiest on record. That year, Bismarck received a huge 101.6 inches (258 centimeters) of snow!
Heavy Rain Events
The 1990s were a very wet time for Bismarck. On August 21, 1998, the city saw its most rain ever in a single day, with 4.63 inches (118 millimeters) falling. Just one year later, on August 12, 1999, the second highest rainfall in 24 hours occurred, with 4.48 inches (114 millimeters). After this wet period, Bismarck went through a long dry spell in the early 2000s.
Sunshine in Bismarck
Bismarck gets different amounts of sunshine throughout the year. In December, the area averages about 4 hours of sunshine each day.
July is the sunniest month. It gets an average of 11.4 hours of sunshine every day. Overall, Bismarck enjoys about 2740 hours of sunshine per year. This means it gets about 62.53% of all the possible sunshine it could receive.
