Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Kief has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 81°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 90% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.1° rise. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from October to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Kief at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kief’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kief’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Kief feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 134 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Butte 5se, ND, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kief’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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Velva, ND, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kief
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 Butte 5se, ND.
Living with Kief’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
134 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 16 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 36% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kief from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kief and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Kief in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Kief’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kief, ND | 1° | 81° | 18" | 41" |
| East Grand Forks, MN | −2° | 81° | 23" | 49" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| 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 Kief averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A smaller shift than in 72% 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 Kief compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kief’s place among North Dakota’s.
Kief weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kief’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Velva, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 1° | 0.5" | 10.3" | 3 | −4° – 27° |
| February | 23° | 4° | 0.5" | 5.3" | 3 | −3° – 27° |
| March | 36° | 16° | 0.7" | 5.2" | 2 | 14° – 40° |
| April | 53° | 29° | 1.1" | 3.1" | 3 | 30° – 49° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 2.6" | 0.8" | 7 | 48° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 81° | 57° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 62° – 73° |
| August | 81° | 54° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 61° – 73° |
| September | 71° | 45° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 55° | 32° | 1.4" | 2.2" | 4 | 34° – 49° |
| November | 37° | 18° | 0.7" | 4.8" | 4 | 14° – 39° |
| December | 24° | 6° | 0.6" | 9.3" | 4 | 3° – 25° |
| Year | 52° | 30° | 18.3" | 41.0" | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -4° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Kief’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 Kief’s center.
- Snow: Velva, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Butte 5se, ND, 6 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 Kief’s climate
What is the weather like in Kief?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 55 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kief in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 184 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 −4°.
How much snow does Kief get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Velva, ND, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Kief?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 57°. About 13 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Butte 5se, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Kief?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 134 frost-free days, at Butte 5se, ND.
What growing zone is Kief 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 Kief?
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 Kief getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kief.
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.