Lightning Creek Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 85°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 93% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.4° higher. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit June and September, with highs of 74–76°.
A year in Lightning Creek Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lightning Creek Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lightning Creek Township’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Lightning Creek Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 115 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 24 and the first by September 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hettinger Muni Airport, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lightning Creek Township’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 Reeder, ND, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; June is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lightning Creek 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 Hettinger Muni Airport.
Living with Lightning Creek Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
115 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 24 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September. 37 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 41% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lightning Creek Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lightning Creek Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lightning Creek Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lightning Creek 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Creek Township, ND | 6° | 85° | 16" | 33" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Taos, NM | 11° | 84° | 13" | 28" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
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 Lightning Creek Township averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
A bigger shift than in 55% 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 Lightning Creek Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lightning Creek Township’s place among North Dakota’s.
Lightning Creek Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lightning Creek Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Reeder, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 6° | 0.4" | 6.4" | 4 | 18 | 8° – 30° |
| February | 32° | 9° | 0.4" | 5.7" | 4 | 15 | 0° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 19° | 0.7" | 5.7" | 5 | 9 | 19° – 44° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.4" | 3.7" | 7 | 3 | 35° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 40° | 2.6" | 0.6" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 85° | 56° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 76° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 74° | 43° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| October | 57° | 31° | 1.4" | 2.7" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 43° | 19° | 0.5" | 4.2" | 4 | 8 | 18° – 40° |
| December | 31° | 9° | 0.3" | 4.3" | 3 | 11 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 56° | 30° | 15.5" | 33.3" | 72 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Lightning Creek 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 Lightning Creek Township’s center.
- Snow: Reeder, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hettinger Muni Airport, 13 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 Lightning Creek Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Lightning Creek Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 6°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 97% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lightning Creek Township in winter?
January nights average 6°. About 201 nights a year reach 32° or below and 33 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Lightning Creek Township get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Reeder, ND, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lightning Creek Township?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 56°. About 24 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Hettinger Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lightning Creek Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 24 and the first fall frost by September 18, about 115 frost-free days, at Hettinger Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Lightning Creek Township in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lightning Creek Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lightning Creek Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 55% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lightning Creek 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.