Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Pekin has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 80°. Temperatures cover 82° across the year, low to high. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 94% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 12; autumn frost returns near September 28.
A year in Pekin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pekin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pekin’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Pekin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 139 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 12 and the first by September 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mc Henry 3w, ND, 21 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pekin’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 60 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mc Henry 3w, ND, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pekin
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 Mc Henry 3w, ND.
Living with Pekin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
139 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 28.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 31% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pekin from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pekin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pekin yet.
Climates most like Pekin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pekin, ND | −3° | 80° | 21" | 60" |
| Bemidji, MN | −3° | 79° | 26" | 49" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Jackson, WY | 6° | 80° | 19" | 78" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
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 Pekin averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.7°).
A smaller shift than in 58% 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 Pekin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pekin’s place among North Dakota’s.
Pekin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pekin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mc Henry 3w, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15° | −3° | 0.5" | 11.4" | 6 | 30 | −9° – 22° |
| February | 20° | 1° | 0.4" | 9.4" | 6 | 26 | −3° – 25° |
| March | 33° | 15° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 5 | 23 | 13° – 38° |
| April | 51° | 28° | 1.1" | 4.3" | 6 | 7 | 28° – 48° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 53° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 68° |
| July | 80° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| August | 79° | 54° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| September | 69° | 45° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| October | 53° | 32° | 1.7" | 2.5" | 7 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| November | 35° | 17° | 0.7" | 8.8" | 6 | 14 | 13° – 39° |
| December | 21° | 4° | 0.6" | 14.3" | 7 | 26 | −2° – 23° |
| Year | 50° | 29° | 20.5" | 59.8" | 86 | 128 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -9° to 22°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Pekin’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 Pekin’s center.
- Snow: Mc Henry 3w, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mc Henry 3w, ND, 21 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 Pekin’s climate
What is the weather like in Pekin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to −3°, and about 60 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 18 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pekin in winter?
January nights average −3°. About 185 nights a year reach 32° or below and 48 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −9°.
How much snow does Pekin get?
About 60 inches in a normal winter at Mc Henry 3w, ND, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 128 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pekin?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Mc Henry 3w, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Pekin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 12 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 139 frost-free days, at Mc Henry 3w, ND.
What growing zone is Pekin 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 Pekin?
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 Pekin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pekin.
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.