Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Colfax has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 82°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.6° above 1901–2000. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 69–82°.
A year in Colfax at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Colfax’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Colfax’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Colfax feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 6 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mc Leod 3 E, ND, 18 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Colfax’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 24 inches of rain a year
June is the wettest month and February the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Colfax
94% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mc Leod 3 E, ND.
Living with Colfax’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 6 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Colfax from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 40%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Colfax and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Colfax yet.
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 Colfax averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 63% 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 Colfax compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Colfax’s place among North Dakota’s.
Colfax weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Colfax’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 1° | 0.7" | −5° – 25° |
| February | 24° | 5° | 0.6" | 1° – 27° |
| March | 38° | 19° | 1.1" | 18° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 32° | 1.8" | 33° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 45° | 3.1" | 51° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.2" | 62° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 60° | 3.5" | 64° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 57° | 2.9" | 63° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 2.7" | 54° – 65° |
| October | 56° | 36° | 2.2" | 38° – 52° |
| November | 39° | 21° | 0.8" | 17° – 42° |
| December | 25° | 8° | 0.8" | 2° – 25° |
| Year | 53° | 32° | 24.3" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -5° to 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Colfax’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 Colfax’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mc Leod 3 E, ND, 18 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; 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 Colfax’s climate
What is the weather like in Colfax?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 1°. Colder January nights than all but 63 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Colfax in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 177 nights a year reach 32° or below and 43 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −5°.
How hot does it get in Colfax?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 60°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Mc Leod 3 E, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Colfax?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 6 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 145 frost-free days, at Mc Leod 3 E, ND.
What growing zone is Colfax 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 Colfax?
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 Colfax getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Colfax.
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.