Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Alexander has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 84°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 93% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.7° higher. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 9 to September 27.
A year in Alexander at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alexander’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alexander’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Alexander feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 139 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Watford City, ND, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alexander’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −27°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Williston Exp Farm, ND, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 15 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alexander
95% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Watford City, ND.
Living with Alexander’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
139 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 9 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alexander from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alexander and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Alexander in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Alexander’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, ND | 4° | 84° | 15" | 39" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alexander averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.9°).
A bigger shift than in 75% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alexander compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alexander’s place among North Dakota’s.
Alexander weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alexander’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williston Exp Farm, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 4° | 0.4" | 7.9" | 6 | 25 | 3° – 29° |
| February | 28° | 8° | 0.3" | 6.3" | 4 | 20 | −3° – 31° |
| March | 42° | 19° | 0.5" | 4.4" | 5 | 12 | 15° – 43° |
| April | 56° | 30° | 1.0" | 2.9" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 2.4" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| July | 84° | 56° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 76° |
| August | 84° | 54° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 31° | 1.0" | 2.6" | 6 | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 39° | 19° | 0.5" | 5.3" | 5 | 8 | 16° – 39° |
| December | 27° | 8° | 0.5" | 9.0" | 6 | 21 | 7° – 27° |
| Year | 55° | 30° | 14.9" | 39.3" | 85 | 91 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -3° to 31°. May is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Alexander’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alexander’s center.
- Snow: Williston Exp Farm, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Watford City, ND, 17 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alexander’s climate
What is the weather like in Alexander?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 4°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 151 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alexander in winter?
January nights average 4°. About 194 nights a year reach 32° or below and 38 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 3°.
How much snow does Alexander get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Williston Exp Farm, ND, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 91 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alexander?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 56°. About 22 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Watford City, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Alexander?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 139 frost-free days, at Watford City, ND.
What growing zone is Alexander in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alexander?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alexander getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alexander.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.