Photo: {{{1}}} · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Cathay
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. Rain follows the seasons: June brings about 8.4 times as much as January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 90% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to September, with highs of 66–81°.
A year in Cathay at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cathay’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cathay’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Cathay 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 13 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fessenden, ND, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cathay’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −26°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fessenden, ND, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 52 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cathay
96% 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 Fessenden, ND.
Living with Cathay’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 13 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 57% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cathay from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cathay and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cathay yet.
Climates most like Cathay’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay, ND | −1° | 81° | 19" | 34" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Thief River Falls, MN | −4° | 79° | 22" | 50" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
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 Cathay averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A smaller shift than in 58% 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 Cathay compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cathay’s place among North Dakota’s.
Cathay weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cathay’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fessenden, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18° | −1° | 0.4" | 7.5" | 4 | −6° – 26° |
| February | 22° | 3° | 0.4" | 5.2" | 4 | −4° – 26° |
| March | 35° | 16° | 0.7" | 4.6" | 3 | 12° – 39° |
| April | 52° | 28° | 1.1" | 1.8" | 4 | 28° – 49° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 7 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 57° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 80° | 54° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 71° | 45° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 54° | 32° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 3 | 35° – 48° |
| November | 36° | 18° | 0.6" | 4.5" | 2 | 13° – 39° |
| December | 22° | 5° | 0.6" | 9.2" | 3 | 1° – 23° |
| Year | 51° | 29° | 18.6" | 33.5" | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -6° to 26°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Cathay’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 Cathay’s center.
- Snow: Fessenden, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fessenden, ND, 12 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 Cathay’s climate
What is the weather like in Cathay?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to −1°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 38 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cathay in winter?
January nights average −1°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 44 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −6°.
How much snow does Cathay get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Fessenden, ND, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Cathay?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 57°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Fessenden, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Cathay?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 139 frost-free days, at Fessenden, ND.
What growing zone is Cathay in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −26°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cathay?
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 Cathay getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cathay.
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.