Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Dodge
July afternoons average 83°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 91% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.3° rise. For walks and days out, the stretch from May to September brings highs of 67–83°.
A year in Dodge at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dodge’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dodge’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Dodge feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 125 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by September 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dunn Ctr 1e, ND, 18 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dodge’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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Zap, ND, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dodge
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 Dunn Ctr 1e, ND.
Living with Dodge’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
125 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 20 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 21.
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 Dodge from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dodge and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dodge yet.
Climates most like Dodge’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge, ND | 3° | 83° | 17" | 33" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| 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 Dodge averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.0°).
A smaller shift than in 53% 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 Dodge compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dodge’s place among North Dakota’s.
Dodge weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dodge’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Zap, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 3° | 0.4" | 6.3" | 4 | 2° – 29° |
| February | 28° | 7° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 4 | −3° – 30° |
| March | 40° | 18° | 0.7" | 4.8" | 4 | 16° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.3" | 3.2" | 5 | 34° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 2.8" | 0.8" | 8 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 51° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 56° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 54° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 64° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 44° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 32° | 1.3" | 2.1" | 5 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 39° | 19° | 0.6" | 3.9" | 4 | 16° – 40° |
| December | 27° | 8° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 4 | 6° – 26° |
| Year | 54° | 30° | 17.4" | 33.4" | 62 |
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 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Dodge’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 Dodge’s center.
- Snow: Zap, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dunn Ctr 1e, ND, 18 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Dodge’s climate
What is the weather like in Dodge?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 127 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dodge in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 194 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 2°.
How much snow does Dodge get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Zap, ND, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Dodge?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 56°. About 23 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Dunn Ctr 1e, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Dodge?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by September 21, about 125 frost-free days, at Dunn Ctr 1e, ND.
What growing zone is Dodge 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 Dodge?
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 Dodge getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 53% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dodge.
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.