Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Scranton Township has some of the coldest winter nights among U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. Only 77° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 92% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 16, with the first autumn frost due around September 25.
A year in Scranton Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Scranton Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Scranton Township’s place in North Dakota beside it.
What a year in Scranton Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 132 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 16 and the first by September 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bowman, ND, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Scranton Township’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −25°. 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 48 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bowman, ND, is heaviest from January through April, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Scranton Township
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 Bowman, ND.
Living with Scranton Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
132 frost-free days in zone 4b. 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June, July, August and September. 33 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 46% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Scranton Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Scranton Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Scranton Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Scranton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton Township, ND | 7° | 84° | 16" | 48" |
| Havre, MT | 6° | 85° | 13" | 41" |
| Aberdeen, SD | 3° | 84° | 22" | 43" |
| Gypsum, CO | 11° | 86° | 14" | 39" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
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 Scranton Township averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.2°).
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 Scranton Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Scranton Township’s place among North Dakota’s.
Scranton Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Scranton Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bowman, ND. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 7° | 0.4" | 7.6" | 7 | 25 | 9° – 30° |
| February | 32° | 10° | 0.4" | 7.6" | 7 | 20 | 0° – 32° |
| March | 43° | 19° | 0.7" | 7.4" | 7 | 16 | 18° – 43° |
| April | 55° | 29° | 1.5" | 8.0" | 9 | 6 | 34° – 48° |
| May | 65° | 39° | 2.7" | 1.9" | 11 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| June | 76° | 50° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 67° |
| July | 84° | 55° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 61° – 76° |
| August | 84° | 53° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| September | 73° | 43° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| October | 57° | 31° | 1.4" | 3.9" | 7 | 2 | 36° – 49° |
| November | 42° | 19° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 6 | 10 | 18° – 40° |
| December | 31° | 10° | 0.4" | 6.4" | 7 | 19 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 56° | 30° | 16.0" | 48.2" | 96 | 99 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 0° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Scranton 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 Scranton Township’s center.
- Snow: Bowman, ND.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bowman, ND, 9 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft higher; 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 Scranton Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Scranton Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 7°, and about 48 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Scranton Township in winter?
January nights average 7°. About 191 nights a year reach 32° or below and 30 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Scranton Township get?
About 48 inches in a normal winter at Bowman, ND, heaviest from January through April, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 99 days a year.
How hot does it get in Scranton Township?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 55°. About 21 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Bowman, ND).
When is the first and last frost in Scranton Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 16 and the first fall frost by September 25, about 132 frost-free days, at Bowman, ND.
What growing zone is Scranton Township in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −25°.
What is the best time of year to visit Scranton 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 Scranton 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 Scranton 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.