Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Lisbon’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Lisbon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lisbon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lisbon’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Lisbon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 136 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lisbon, ND, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lisbon’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 47 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lisbon, ND, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lisbon
95% 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 Lisbon, ND.
Living with Lisbon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
136 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lisbon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 35%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lisbon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lisbon yet.
Climates most like Lisbon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon, ND | 1° | 83° | 23" | 47" |
| Brookings, SD | 5° | 82° | 27" | 36" |
| Willmar, MN | 4° | 82° | 29" | 46" |
| Sheldon, IA | 7° | 84° | 30" | 41" |
| Kingsford, MI | 5° | 80° | 29" | 61" |
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 Lisbon averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Lisbon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lisbon’s place among North Dakota’s.
Lisbon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lisbon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lisbon, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 1° | 0.6" | 9.7" | 5 | −4° – 25° |
| February | 25° | 5° | 0.6" | 7.1" | 5 | −1° – 27° |
| March | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 5 | 17° – 42° |
| April | 54° | 31° | 1.7" | 4.5" | 7 | 32° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 51° – 63° |
| June | 78° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 70° |
| July | 83° | 59° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 81° | 56° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 47° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 34° | 2.1" | 1.5" | 7 | 37° – 50° |
| November | 39° | 20° | 0.7" | 7.4" | 5 | 17° – 41° |
| December | 25° | 8° | 0.7" | 8.7" | 5 | 3° – 25° |
| Year | 53° | 31° | 22.7" | 46.7" | 83 |
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 25°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lisbon’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 Lisbon’s center.
- Snow: Lisbon, ND (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lisbon, ND, 0.6 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 Lisbon’s climate
What is the weather like in Lisbon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 1°, and about 47 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 63 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lisbon in winter?
January nights average 1°. About 182 nights a year reach 32° or below and 41 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −4°.
How much snow does Lisbon get?
About 47 inches in a normal winter at Lisbon, ND, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Lisbon?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 59°. About 14 days a year reach 90° (Lisbon, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Lisbon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 27, about 136 frost-free days, at Lisbon, ND.
What growing zone is Lisbon 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 Lisbon?
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 Lisbon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lisbon.
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.