Photo: {{{1}}} · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Cannon Ball
July afternoons average 84°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 91% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. The outdoor season runs from May to September, with highs of 68–84°.
A year in Cannon Ball at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cannon Ball’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cannon Ball’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Cannon Ball feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Breien, ND, 15 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cannon Ball’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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hazelton 4nw, ND, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cannon Ball
94% 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 Breien, ND.
Living with Cannon Ball’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 12 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 40 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 81% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cannon Ball from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cannon Ball and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cannon Ball yet.
Climates most like Cannon Ball’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Ball, ND | 3° | 84° | 18" | 45" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Huron, SD | 6° | 86° | 23" | 44" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Moorhead, MN | 0° | 82° | 25" | 51" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cannon Ball averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Cannon Ball compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cannon Ball’s place among North Dakota’s.
Cannon Ball weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cannon Ball’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hazelton 4nw, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 3° | 0.4" | 8.9" | 5 | 27 | 1° – 27° |
| February | 28° | 7° | 0.5" | 6.8" | 5 | 24 | −1° – 30° |
| March | 41° | 19° | 0.8" | 6.5" | 5 | 19 | 19° – 43° |
| April | 56° | 30° | 1.4" | 4.3" | 7 | 6 | 35° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 78° | 53° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 84° | 58° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 78° |
| August | 83° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 46° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 57° | 33° | 1.6" | 2.6" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 50° |
| November | 40° | 19° | 0.5" | 6.9" | 5 | 12 | 17° – 40° |
| December | 28° | 8° | 0.5" | 8.5" | 5 | 20 | 5° – 27° |
| Year | 55° | 31° | 18.0" | 44.7" | 83 | 110 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -1° to 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Cannon Ball’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 Cannon Ball’s center.
- Snow: Hazelton 4nw, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Breien, ND, 15 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 Cannon Ball’s climate
What is the weather like in Cannon Ball?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 99 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cannon Ball in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 41 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does Cannon Ball get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Hazelton 4nw, ND, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 110 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cannon Ball?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 58°. About 26 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Breien, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Cannon Ball?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 134 frost-free days, at Breien, ND.
What growing zone is Cannon Ball 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 Cannon Ball?
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 Cannon Ball getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cannon Ball.
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.