Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0New Town sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
July afternoons average 83°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 92% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.3° above 1901–2000. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to September, with highs of 67–83°.
A year in New Town at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about New Town’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with New Town’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in New Town feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 121 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 20 and the first by September 20. Frost and day counts come from Keene 3s, ND, 21 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts New Town’s center in zone 4a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −28°. 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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Keene 3s, ND, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in New Town
95% 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 Keene 3s, ND.
Living with New Town’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
121 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 20 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 49% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in New Town from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →New Town and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of New Town in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like New Town’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 Town, ND | 2° | 83° | 17" | 35" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| East Grand Forks, MN | −2° | 81° | 23" | 49" |
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 New Town averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.3°).
A smaller shift than in 54% 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 Town compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with New Town’s place among North Dakota’s.
New Town weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at New Town’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Keene 3s, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 2° | 0.4" | 7.6" | 4 | 0° – 27° |
| February | 26° | 6° | 0.4" | 6.1" | 4 | −4° – 29° |
| March | 39° | 17° | 0.6" | 6.1" | 4 | 14° – 42° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.1" | 2.7" | 6 | 33° – 49° |
| May | 67° | 40° | 2.5" | 0.7" | 9 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 58° – 68° |
| July | 83° | 55° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 61° – 75° |
| August | 83° | 53° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 43° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 53° – 64° |
| October | 56° | 31° | 1.1" | 2.0" | 6 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 38° | 18° | 0.6" | 3.1" | 4 | 16° – 39° |
| December | 25° | 7° | 0.5" | 6.5" | 5 | 4° – 26° |
| Year | 53° | 29° | 16.8" | 34.8" | 74 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -4° to 29°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where New Town’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 Town’s center.
- Snow: Keene 3s, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Keene 3s, ND, 21 miles from the town’s center, 520 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- 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 Town’s climate
What is the weather like in New Town?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 74 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in New Town in winter?
January nights average 2°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 37 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 0°.
How much snow does New Town get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Keene 3s, ND, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in New Town?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 55°. About 20 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Keene 3s, ND).
When is the first and last frost in New Town?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 20 and the first fall frost by September 20, about 121 frost-free days, at Keene 3s, ND.
What growing zone is New Town in?
Zone 4a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −28°.
What is the best time of year to visit New Town?
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 Town getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in New Town.
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.