Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Pembina
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 80°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 94% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 2.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly May 16 to September 29.
A year in Pembina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pembina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pembina’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Pembina feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 137 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pembina, ND, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pembina’s center in zone 3b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −31°. 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 39 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cavalier 7nw, ND, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 22 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 Pembina
97% 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 Pembina, ND.
Living with Pembina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
137 frost-free days in zone 3b. The last frost comes by May 16 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: May, June, July, August and September. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pembina from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 44%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pembina and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pembina yet.
Climates most like Pembina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pembina, ND | −4° | 80° | 22" | 39" |
| Detroit Lakes, MN | −2° | 79° | 26" | 48" |
| Watertown, SD | 2° | 81° | 25" | 41" |
| Gunnison, CO | 0° | 82° | 12" | 50" |
| 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 Pembina averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 88% 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 Pembina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pembina’s place among North Dakota’s.
Pembina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pembina’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cavalier 7nw, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13° | −4° | 0.8" | 7.4" | 5 | 31 | −9° – 20° |
| February | 18° | 0° | 0.6" | 4.6" | 4 | 27 | −3° – 25° |
| March | 32° | 14° | 0.9" | 5.7" | 5 | 25 | 12° – 36° |
| April | 51° | 29° | 1.1" | 3.4" | 5 | 5 | 29° – 49° |
| May | 66° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.9" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| June | 75° | 53° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| July | 80° | 57° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| August | 79° | 54° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| September | 69° | 46° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| October | 53° | 33° | 1.7" | 2.5" | 7 | 2 | 34° – 48° |
| November | 34° | 18° | 0.9" | 5.9" | 5 | 13 | 12° – 40° |
| December | 19° | 4° | 1.0" | 8.7" | 6 | 24 | −4° – 24° |
| Year | 49° | 29° | 22.3" | 39.1" | 86 | 125 |
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 20°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Pembina’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 Pembina’s center.
- Snow: Cavalier 7nw, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pembina, ND, 0.4 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 Pembina’s climate
What is the weather like in Pembina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to −4°, and about 39 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 14 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pembina in winter?
January nights average −4°. About 194 nights a year reach 32° or below and 60 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −9°.
How much snow does Pembina get?
About 39 inches in a normal winter at Cavalier 7nw, ND, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 125 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pembina?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 57°. About 5 days a year reach 90° (Pembina, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Pembina?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 29, about 137 frost-free days, at Pembina, ND.
What growing zone is Pembina in?
Zone 3b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −31°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pembina?
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 Pembina getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pembina.
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.