Cote, Urbain, Round Barn · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Fairview Township
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 80°. Temperatures cover 80° across the year, low to high. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 90% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to September, with highs of 66–80°.
A year in Fairview Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairview Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairview Township’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Fairview Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 135 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Harvey 4ne, ND, 16 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairview Township’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 Fairview Township
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 Harvey 4ne, ND.
Living with Fairview Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
135 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 42 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairview Township from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairview Township and its neighbors
Western Township has the coldest January nights next door (-1°, 2° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fairview Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Township, ND | 1° | 80° | 19" | 34" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Crookston, MN | −2° | 81° | 23" | 50" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Sidney, MT | 4° | 85° | 15" | 30" |
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 Fairview Township averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.6°).
A bigger 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 Fairview Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairview Township’s place among North Dakota’s.
Fairview Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairview Township’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 | −5° – 26° |
| February | 22° | 4° | 0.5" | 5.2" | 4 | −3° – 27° |
| March | 35° | 16° | 0.7" | 4.6" | 3 | 15° – 40° |
| April | 52° | 29° | 1.2" | 1.8" | 4 | 29° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 7 | 48° – 60° |
| June | 75° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 56° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 80° | 54° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 45° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 4 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 54° | 32° | 1.4" | 0.6" | 3 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 36° | 18° | 0.7" | 4.5" | 2 | 13° – 39° |
| December | 23° | 7° | 0.6" | 9.2" | 3 | 3° – 24° |
| Year | 51° | 30° | 18.8" | 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 -5° to 26°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Fairview Township’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 Fairview Township’s center.
- Snow: Fessenden, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Harvey 4ne, ND, 16 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower; 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 Fairview Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairview Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 60 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairview Township in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 46 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −5°.
How much snow does Fairview Township get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Fessenden, ND, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Fairview Township?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 56°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Harvey 4ne, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Fairview Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 26, about 135 frost-free days, at Harvey 4ne, ND.
What growing zone is Fairview Township 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 Fairview Township?
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 Fairview Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairview Township.
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.