Photo: The original uploader was Hephaestos at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0New Salem sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 83°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 91% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to September, with highs of 67–83°.
A year in New Salem at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about New Salem’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with New Salem’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in New Salem feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 127 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 18 and the first by September 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at New Salem 5nw, ND, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts New Salem’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 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at New Salem 5nw, ND, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in New Salem
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 New Salem 5nw, ND.
Living with New Salem’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
127 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 24.
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 →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in New Salem from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 34%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →New Salem and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around New Salem yet.
Climates most like New Salem’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Salem, ND | 3° | 83° | 18" | 45" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Moorhead, MN | 0° | 82° | 25" | 51" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
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 New Salem averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.1°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 New Salem compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with New Salem’s place among North Dakota’s.
New Salem weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at New Salem’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from New Salem 5nw, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23° | 3° | 0.4" | 6.8" | 6 | 28 | 1° – 28° |
| February | 27° | 7° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 6 | 21 | −2° – 31° |
| March | 40° | 18° | 0.7" | 7.6" | 7 | 15 | 17° – 43° |
| April | 54° | 29° | 1.4" | 5.0" | 8 | 4 | 34° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 2.6" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| June | 76° | 51° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 83° | 56° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 76° |
| August | 82° | 54° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 44° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 63° |
| October | 56° | 31° | 1.4" | 3.2" | 8 | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| November | 39° | 19° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 6 | 9 | 16° – 40° |
| December | 27° | 8° | 0.5" | 8.9" | 7 | 20 | 6° – 27° |
| Year | 54° | 30° | 18.0" | 44.5" | 96 | 100 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -2° to 31°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where New Salem’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 New Salem’s center.
- Snow: New Salem 5nw, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: New Salem 5nw, ND, 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 New Salem’s climate
What is the weather like in New Salem?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 3°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 110 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in New Salem in winter?
January nights average 3°. About 192 nights a year reach 32° or below and 39 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 1°.
How much snow does New Salem get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at New Salem 5nw, ND, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 100 days a year.
How hot does it get in New Salem?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 56°. About 16 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (New Salem 5nw, ND).
When is the first and last frost in New Salem?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 18 and the first fall frost by September 24, about 127 frost-free days, at New Salem 5nw, ND.
What growing zone is New Salem 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 New Salem?
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 New Salem getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in New Salem.
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.