Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Harwood
Sunny July days climb to about 82°. Temperatures cover 83° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. From May to September, highs of 69–82° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Harwood at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Harwood’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Harwood’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Harwood feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fargo Hector International Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Harwood’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 51 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fargo Hector International Airport, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Harwood
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 Fargo Hector International Airport.
Living with Harwood’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 30.
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 Harwood from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Harwood and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Harwood in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Harwood’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harwood, ND | 0° | 82° | 24" | 51" |
| Montevideo, MN | 4° | 83° | 28" | 46" |
| Brookings, SD | 5° | 82° | 27" | 36" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
| Rice Lake, WI | 3° | 80° | 33" | 53" |
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 Harwood averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 59% 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 Harwood compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Harwood’s place among North Dakota’s.
Harwood weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Harwood’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fargo Hector International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18° | 0° | 0.6" | 10.3" | 9 | 29 | −5° – 23° |
| February | 23° | 4° | 0.6" | 8.1" | 8 | 25 | 0° – 28° |
| March | 37° | 18° | 1.1" | 9.2" | 8 | 18 | 17° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 32° | 1.5" | 4.1" | 8 | 5 | 33° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 56° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 62° – 71° |
| July | 82° | 59° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 56° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 48° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 56° | 35° | 2.1" | 1.2" | 9 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| November | 38° | 21° | 0.8" | 6.8" | 8 | 9 | 17° – 41° |
| December | 24° | 7° | 0.8" | 11.7" | 10 | 22 | 0° – 25° |
| Year | 53° | 32° | 23.8" | 51.4" | 109 | 107 |
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 23°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Harwood’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 Harwood’s center.
- Snow: Fargo Hector International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fargo Hector International Airport, 5 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 Harwood’s climate
What is the weather like in Harwood?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 0°, and about 51 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 41 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Harwood in winter?
January nights average 0°. About 172 nights a year reach 32° or below and 42 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −5°.
How much snow does Harwood get?
About 51 inches in a normal winter at Fargo Hector International Airport, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 107 days a year.
How hot does it get in Harwood?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 59°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Fargo Hector International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Harwood?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 143 frost-free days, at Fargo Hector International Airport.
What growing zone is Harwood 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 Harwood?
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 Harwood getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 59% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Harwood.
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.