Pisek School · Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns see harsher January nights than Pisek
Sunny July days climb to about 80°. Only 83° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 91% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 4; autumn frost returns near October 7.
A year in Pisek at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pisek’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pisek’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Pisek feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grafton, ND, 15 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pisek’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 43 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Petersburg 2 N, 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 71 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pisek
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 Grafton, ND.
Living with Pisek’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 4a. The last frost comes by May 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pisek from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pisek and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pisek yet.
Climates most like Pisek’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pisek, ND | −2° | 80° | 21" | 43" |
| Fergus Falls, MN | 0° | 81° | 26" | 50" |
| 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 Pisek averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.5°).
A bigger 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 Pisek compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pisek’s place among North Dakota’s.
Pisek weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pisek’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Petersburg 2 N, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14° | −2° | 0.6" | 6.3" | 4 | −7° – 22° |
| February | 20° | 2° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 4 | −2° – 26° |
| March | 33° | 15° | 0.9" | 7.7" | 3 | 14° – 38° |
| April | 52° | 30° | 1.2" | 2.2" | 5 | 29° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.6" | 9 | 48° – 61° |
| June | 76° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 60° – 69° |
| July | 80° | 58° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 61° – 74° |
| August | 79° | 55° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 71° |
| September | 70° | 46° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 52° – 64° |
| October | 53° | 33° | 1.7" | 2.2" | 7 | 34° – 49° |
| November | 34° | 19° | 0.8" | 4.9" | 4 | 13° – 40° |
| December | 20° | 5° | 0.7" | 10.9" | 4 | −2° – 24° |
| Year | 50° | 30° | 21.2" | 42.5" | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from -7° to 22°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Pisek’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 Pisek’s center.
- Snow: Petersburg 2 N, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grafton, ND, 15 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Pisek’s climate
What is the weather like in Pisek?
A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to −2°, and about 43 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than all but 22 U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pisek in winter?
January nights average −2°. About 169 nights a year reach 32° or below and 46 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged −7°.
How much snow does Pisek get?
About 43 inches in a normal winter at Petersburg 2 N, ND, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Pisek?
July, with a typical high of 80° and a low of 58°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Grafton, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Pisek?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 156 frost-free days, at Grafton, ND.
What growing zone is Pisek 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 Pisek?
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 Pisek getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pisek.
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.