Gladstone sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Expect July afternoons of about 83°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 92% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Long walks are most pleasant from May to September, when afternoons reach 66–83°.
A year in Gladstone at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gladstone’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gladstone’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Gladstone feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 129 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Theodore Roosevelt Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 260 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gladstone’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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Taylor 7 Nnw, ND, falls mostly in March 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 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gladstone
95% 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 Theodore Roosevelt Airport.
Living with Gladstone’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
129 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 18 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 25.
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 Gladstone from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 38%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gladstone and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gladstone yet.
Climates most like Gladstone’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladstone, ND | 5° | 83° | 17" | 35" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Alamosa, CO | 3° | 82° | 8" | 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 Gladstone averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
A smaller 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 Gladstone compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gladstone’s place among North Dakota’s.
Gladstone weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gladstone’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Taylor 7 Nnw, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 5° | 0.3" | 5.5" | 5 | 20 | 4° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 8° | 0.4" | 5.8" | 5 | 15 | −1° – 30° |
| March | 41° | 19° | 0.7" | 6.4" | 6 | 10 | 17° – 44° |
| April | 54° | 29° | 1.4" | 3.4" | 8 | 4 | 35° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 40° | 2.6" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| June | 75° | 50° | 3.2" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 56° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 54° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 73° | 44° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 31° | 1.3" | 2.6" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 40° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.7" | 4 | 5 | 17° – 40° |
| December | 29° | 9° | 0.4" | 6.6" | 5 | 12 | 7° – 27° |
| Year | 55° | 30° | 16.5" | 35.1" | 84 | 69 |
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 9°.
Where Gladstone’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 Gladstone’s center.
- Snow: Taylor 7 Nnw, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Theodore Roosevelt Airport, 11 miles from the town’s center, 260 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 Gladstone’s climate
What is the weather like in Gladstone?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 5°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 98% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gladstone in winter?
January nights average 5°. About 189 nights a year reach 32° or below and 32 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 4°.
How much snow does Gladstone get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Taylor 7 Nnw, ND, most of it in March and December, with snow on the ground about 69 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gladstone?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 56°. About 20 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Theodore Roosevelt Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Gladstone?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 129 frost-free days, at Theodore Roosevelt Airport.
What growing zone is Gladstone 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 Gladstone?
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 Gladstone getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gladstone.
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.