Passport Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 80°. The wettest month is June; the driest is January. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 92% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 11, with the first autumn frost due around September 29.
A year in Passport Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Passport Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Passport Township’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Passport Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from Foxholm 7 N, ND, 16 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Passport Township’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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tagus, ND, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January 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 Passport Township
94% 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 Foxholm 7 N, ND.
Living with Passport Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 26 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 51% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Passport Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Passport Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Passport Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Passport 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passport Township, ND | 2° | 80° | 17" | 50" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| East Grand Forks, MN | −2° | 81° | 23" | 49" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
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 Passport Township averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.4°).
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 Passport Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Passport Township’s place among North Dakota’s.
Passport Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Passport Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Tagus, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19° | 2° | 0.4" | 8.3" | 5 | 29 | −3° – 27° |
| February | 23° | 5° | 0.4" | 6.2" | 4 | 23 | −5° – 27° |
| March | 36° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | 20 | 13° – 39° |
| April | 52° | 28° | 1.1" | 5.6" | 6 | 4 | 28° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 40° | 2.5" | 2.2" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| June | 74° | 50° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 80° | 55° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| August | 80° | 53° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| September | 69° | 44° | 1.7" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| October | 53° | 31° | 1.2" | 4.1" | 5 | 2 | 34° – 47° |
| November | 35° | 18° | 0.6" | 6.6" | 4 | 12 | 15° – 39° |
| December | 23° | 7° | 0.5" | 9.1" | 6 | 26 | 3° – 26° |
| Year | 51° | 29° | 17.2" | 49.7" | 74 | 117 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -5° to 27°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Passport 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 Passport Township’s center.
- Snow: Tagus, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Foxholm 7 N, ND, 16 miles from the town’s center, 540 ft lower; 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 Passport Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Passport Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 79 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Passport Township in winter?
January nights average 2°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 50 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −3°.
How much snow does Passport Township get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Tagus, ND, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 117 days a year.
How hot does it get in Passport Township?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 55°. About 17 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Foxholm 7 N, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Passport Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 138 frost-free days, at Foxholm 7 N, ND.
What growing zone is Passport Township 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 Passport Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Passport Township 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 Passport 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.